Program Corner

Many years ago, one of our listeners called Minds Eye with a suggestion. The listener reminded us that many of our listeners own pets and some use guide dogs, so it’s only natural that we should have a program for pet lovers. So the Pet Hour was born and added to the weekly schedule.

Charlotte Kroupa, herself a dog lover, took on the program and has been reading it since then. Charlotte and the staff are always surprised at how many magazines are out there for pet owners. The show focuses on stories about dogs and cats with the occasional bird, hamster, or monkey thrown in for good measure. Most of the articles that are read are from The Bark, Dog Fancy, and Cat Fancy Magazines; but newspaper articles, the Humane Society of Missouri’s Tails and other shelters’ publications make frequent appearances in the show.

The program is heard Friday at 6:00 p.m. and repeated Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

Ultraviolet light and blue light can damage your retina and may increase your chances of developing macular degeneration. They can also speed up its development. Therefore, it is extremely important to protect your eyes when you are out of doors.

Wear a hat or visor whenever you are outside, even on overcast days. Ultraviolet light passes through cloud cover and is just as dangerous as direct sunlight.

Look for sunglasses that screen 99-100% of ultraviolet A and B rays. Recent research points to blue light (the short wavelengths of the light spectrum) as an even more damaging factor. To be on the safe side, try to find glasses that guard against both ultraviolet rays and bluelight. A certain percentage of sunglasses are mislabeled, so always buy sunglasses from a reputable dealer. Your optician can check your glasses to measure the UV protection.
Most glasses allow some direct sunlight to enter from the top and sides of the frame. There are sunglasses designed specifically for macular degeneration that include side panels and a ridge at the top of the glasses so that all light is filtered. The most helpful colors for blocking out blue light are red, orange, yellow and amber. Because glare is often a problem for people with macular degeneration, choose this protection carefully. You can also have your regular glasses treated with ultraviolet protection - a clear coating that will not interfere with your sight.

Reprinted with permission from the Macular Degeneration Partnership. More information can be found at www.amd.org.