Many of us don't see as well as we did when we were younger. If you have experienced this, then you understand the frustration that can come with vision changes. As we age, we usually experience many changes in our vision. Some of these changes occur as a normal part of aging, while others are the result of chronic diseases such as diabetes or glaucoma.

Regardless of the cause of vision changes, the result is that we don’t see as well as we did when we were younger. For example, we probably need more light to see things than we used to, we probably can’t read small print easily, and we may not be able to distinguish color differences as well. These visual changes can affect our activities in the kitchen. The consequences of vision loss may limit our ability to prepare meals. This article will focus on some ways we can compensate for some of those vision changes and increase our ability to use our kitchen space.

Vision Changes

Aging decreases our eye’s sensitivity to light and increases its sensitivity to glare. Overall lighting should be increased, but when increasing wattage, don’t overlook the potential for producing glare. Glare from light fixtures or shiny surfaces is painful to the older eye.

To increase overall general lighting:

• Put higher wattage bulbs in light fixtures (make certain that you don’t put in a higher wattage bulb than the fixture calls for, otherwise you create a fire hazard).
• Add additional general lighting.
• Paint walls light colors (light surfaces reflect more light, dark surfaces absorb light).

General lighting should be combined with task lighting for close work, such as chopping, reading can labels and recipes. Task light should illuminate the work surface, without creating glare.

In the kitchen you can increase task lighting by:

• Installing wall-cabinet mounted strip lighting, particularly over work areas and the sink.
• Install battery operated lighting in the pantry.
• Paint the interior of cabinets a light color.

Focus

One of the most common effects of aging on eyes is that the ability to focus on near objects declines. Reading small print can become a challenge. There are a few things you can do to assist with the need to read in the kitchen, for example:

• Magnifying overlay to help read recipe books.
• Use masking tape to label cans of foods. Write the name of the food on the tape in large letters.
• Use dots to help label oven or cooktop reading. Place a dot on the control where the on/off arrow usually is, then dot various positions on the flame height or temperature dials for easier reading.
• Use larger dots or a permanent marker to label measuring cups and spoons in large letters.

Colors

Our ability to perceive certain colors declines with age. It becomes more difficult to distinguish between shades of blue, blue green and green and violets. Dark colors and colors of similar intensity (brightness or dullness) are also more difficult to distinguish. Light, pastel colors may also be difficult to distinguish from each other. Dark and light color contrasts can make objects more visible. Some examples of modifications you might make include:

• Use place mats and dishes that contrast in color.
• Use solid color glasses, instead of clear glasses (clear glasses are difficult to see) or use clear glasses for dark colored liquids. If using a clear measuring cup, color contrast may help to improve visibility. Light liquids contrast well with a dark piece of paper glued to the wall; dark liquids show up against the light wall.
• Use cutting boards that contrast with the food you are preparing, i.e. cut bell peppers, carrots, etc. on a white board; cut potatoes on a dark board.
• Replace cabinet handles with handles that contrast to color of cabinets.
• Use cloth tape in a contrasting color on the edge of kitchen countertops that are similar to the floor. This makes the counter edge more visible.
• Paint or replace the light switch cover with a contrasting color to the wall.