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I ate right, watched my weight, and walked every day, sowhen I felt a tingling in my arm and shortness of breath I never thought it could be my heart -- but it was.The doctors and rehabilitation team at the Heart Center ofGreater Waterbury changed my life. I’m back to work,back to walking with my friends and back to hiking withmy daughter.

To learn more about the advanced cardiac services available close to home, call the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury at (203) 575-1992, or visit our website atwww.heartcentergw.org.

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CITIZEN’S NEWSFriday, August 27, 2010 11

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More than half of Americans age 65 and older will experience cataracts, so manyassume cataracts are just a sign of aging.However, children, young adults and even babies can have cataracts.

What Are Cataracts?A cataract forms when the lens of the

eye becomes cloudy. The lens is respon-sible for focusing light onto the retina. The reason for cloudiness could be due to pro-tein changes in the lens. With nuclearcataracts, the most common kind of cata-ract, the inside of the lens is affected. Incortical cataracts, the outside of the lens is affected.

Cataracts grow quite slowly, meaning itcan be years before they impact vision sig-nificantly. While they are often found inthe elderly and progress as one ages,babies can be born with cataracts (knownas congenital cataracts). Cataracts can bethe result of steroid use. Also, youngeradults can experience cataracts from a sys-temic illnesses, like diabetes. Cataractsmay also form in smokers. Doctors say that not smoking can greatly reduce the risk for nuclear cataracts.

Research indicates that women are at ahigher risk for cataracts than men. It could be because cataracts develop more pro-nounced as individuals age. Women gen-erally live longer than men.

Cataract SymptomsSymptoms of cataracts include blurred

vision, dulled colors, appearance of halosaround bright lights at night, and the need for brighter light when reading. Symptoms of cataracts cannot be remedied with read-ing glasses or other prescriptions.

Treatment for CataractsThe most common treatment for cata-

racts that cause considerable visionimpairment is surgery. A cataract will be

Get the Facts About Cataracts

removed only if it interferes with vision enough to prevent a person from driv-ing, reading, or doing other essentialactivities. A “ripe” cataract can beextracted by an eye surgeon in a routine surgery. If cataracts are present in both eyes, surgery will be performed one at a time.

The procedure is called phacoemul-sification, or phaco. An eye surgeon will make a small incision into the side ofthe cornea. A probe is inserted whereultrasound waves will gradually breakup the cloudy cataract. A suction thenremoves the pieces.

Recovery time varies among patientsbut could be a week or two. The eye will be covered with a protective wrap for afew days. Eye drops may have to beadministered daily. Eventually protec-tive sunglasses will block out brightlight from the eye. One should alsoavoid activities that could affect the eye,such as dusty conditions, changing a lit-ter box, bending over or doing heavylifting, or splashing water in the eye.

Most outcomes of cataract surgery are successful. Vision is restored to at least20/40, the acceptable level for driving.

For those experiencing vision trouble,consult with an optometrist to deter-mine if cataracts are the cause.

Vision problems are more than just anuisance for children. Impacted vision can have serious effects on a child’s ability tolearn in the classroom.

Imagine trying to read a textbook or see the chalkboard with words dancingaround or vision doubled. What if the words wereblurred or evenbackward?

These are thep r o b l e m sthousands ofstudents face.Poor grades oran inability topay attention inclass may beincorrectly attributed to other learning orbehavioral issues when really they couldstem from poor vision.

Most vision screenings at school do notcheck for tracking, focusing, eye teaming,or perceptual skills. They simply check for visual acuity. Therefore, students withcertain vision impairments may be sent on their way with a 20/20 bill of health. Anoptometrist or opthalmologist will be able to diagnose vision problems that are notapparent in school exams.

Without proper diagnosis, children canexperience low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy in school. With repeated

Vision Problems Can Affect Learningadmonishments from educators andparents, children may view themselves as“stupid” or unable to learn. This couldimpact them throughout their entire lives.

Corrective treatments can improve achild’s ability to see and learn. A study

published in the Archives ofOphthalmologyindicated thattest scores ofpreschool-agedchildren whohad hyperopiaa n da s t i g m a t i s mwere lower than those who didnot. Within 6

weeks of wearing corrective glasses, thechildren’s test scores improvedsignificantly.

The American Optometric Associationrecommends comprehensive eye examseach year before a child enters school.Parents can make this a part of annualphysical exams when taking kids for yearly wellness visits.

Children are not alone in visionproblems. Adults can also be impacted by any number of vision ailments. Doctorsrecommend annual eye exams for adultsas well. Make it a family affair andschedule appointments on the same day.

Who Says There’s No Place Like Home?

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Naugatuck, CT 06770www.athenahealthcare.com

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Griffin Hospital is proud to receive the 2010 Award for Quality. Thisprestigious honor is awarded annually by the Premier HealthcareAlliance (www.premierinc.com), whichrecognizes top U.S. hospitals for efficiently providing outstanding patient care and consistently setting the standard in clinicalexcellence.

As one of just 23 hospitalsnationwide, and the onlyConnecticut hospital to receivethe Award for Quality, Griffin ranks among the top one percent of the3,788 U.S. hospitals that were eligible for consideration.

Griffin is also proud to be part of the Planetree network, a coalitionof more than 150 hospitals and healthcare organizations worldwide

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12 Friday, August 27, 2010CITIZEN’S NEWS

In January, 3-year-old Jaden Bolli, of Maple Shade, N.J.dialed 9-1-1 when his grand-mother collapsed at home. The toddler had learned how tocall emergency services justdays before from his mother.The boy told the dispatcherthat it was his grandmother’sblood sugar. However, shereally had suffered a stroke.Paramedics arrived in timeand were able to help thewoman. Bolli saved hisgrandma’s life.

A parent never knows when an emergency will strike. Hisor her only hope may be thefast-thinking action of a young child who has called for help.

Many parents wonder when the right time is for teachingyoungsters about 9-1-1 or call-ing for emergency services. Itdoesn’t have to be based onage but rather maturity level.A mature 3-year-old may beable to grasp the concept andlearn how to use the phone.However, parents may have to wait a little longer for a lessmature child.

Some adults are apprehen-sive about teaching the 9-1-1 lessonbecause they fear a child may dial thenumber by accident or even on purposewhen there is no emergency. Many apolice officer has responded to a call onlyto find that a child has made the call. Some areas will give individuals a warning.Others may issue a fine if 9-1-1 is dialedtoo many times without an emergency.This can be a deterrent to teaching aboutcalling the police. However, when donethe right way, many children can grasp the difference between using 9-1-1 in thewrong and right way.

1. Explain the purpose of 9-1-1. It is amethod of contacting the police, firedepartment or ambulance when there isan emergency only. An emergency is when Mom, Dad or someone else in the house is hurt and can’t get up; there is a fire; or the police are needed, like if there is a burglar or a bad fight.

Teaching Children

About 9-1-1

2. Indicate that the adults in the housewill dial the phone whenever possible ifthere is an emergency. The child is learn-ing only in case Mom or Dad can’t get tothe phone.

3. Discuss the buttons on the phone.Show the child how to push them in theright order.

4. Now may be the time to also teach the child his or her full name and address.This is something many kindergartnersare urged to know.

5. Roll-play with the child. Go overinstances that are emergencies and non-emergencies so he or she will understand the differences between both and when 9-1-1 may be needed.

Again, stress the importance that 9-1-1should not be dialed just for fun. Mommy is not sick if she simply has a headache!With time, children can grasp the conceptof 9-1-1 and be a lifesaver at a time whenan adult cannot reach the phone.

CITIZEN’S NEWSFriday, August 27, 2010 13

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Service Dogs Definitely

Can Be Man’s Best Friend

Service and assistance dogs can makeeveryday living possible for thousands ofpeople with disabilities.

Many people have seen guide dogs who navigate difficult terrain and assist theirblind handlers. But service dogs are avail-able for many different conditions. Someassist the deaf, alerting the handler tosounds. There are other dogs trained torespond when an individual has a seizure.Some dogs assist with mobility issues, pro-viding the “arms” or “legs” for a disabled person. There are even dogs that can serve in psychiatric settings, assisting those with certain mental illnesses.

Without service dogs, many people maynot be able to live full lives. Service dogsare often donated to individuals, and train-ing of animals is on a volunteer basis.Whatever the case, the most important part of the scenario is a capable and willing dog being matched with a person in need.

Service dogs come into their servicecareers in a number of ways. Some dogswere shelter dogs that were evaluated forproper temperament and trainability.Other dogs are surrendered to trainingorganizations from former pet owners who need to find the pet a new home. On rareoccasions service dogs are donated bybreeders.

Service dogs may be trained by organi-zations or by individuals. Depending on

the dog’s age, training can take a mini-mum of six months to as long as 22months to complete. Training will includefostering by a family to ensure the dog has household manners. Because service dogs will have to have ears and eyes on theirhandlers at all times, they will be trainedto ignore distractions in their environ-ment. They also must be able to respond to commands promptly and avoid the behav-ioral problems that can sometimes plague dogs, such as food aggression.

Sometimes service dogs in training aresimply not able to meet the needs of aservice dog. They may be released fromtraining for adoption. It takes a very spe-cial dog to be a successful service dog. This type of dog must be happy in tempera-ment, obedient, quick to learn, and able to interact with both people and other ani-mals without any aggression.

Service dogs are often GoldenRetrievers, Labrador Retrievers or com-binations thereof. That isn’t to say otherbreeds cannot be service dogs. SomeShepherds and even Doberman Pinschers have been used as service dogs. As long as the animal meets the training and physical requirements, he or she may be consid-ered for a life of service.

For more information about assistancedogs and training, visit www.assistance-dogsinternational.org or www.adai.org