Glaucoma is a very common eye condition, especially for older adults. When left untreated, glaucoma can do serious damage to your vision, so it’s important to get screened regularly to catch it early. Did you know Medicare offers regular glaucoma screenings? Read on to learn more about glaucoma and Medicare-covered screenings.

What Is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye condition that happens when fluid builds up in your eye, putting pressure on the optic nerve. Our eyes are supposed to drain regularly, but over time, they may start to clog.

You can also develop narrow-angle glaucoma if the structure of your eye prevents fluids from draining properly. With this type of glaucoma, you would likely see symptoms much sooner than with primary glaucoma.

Many glaucoma patients do not have symptoms at first, which is why screenings are so important. Over time, you might start to notice blind spots on either side of your vision as the pressure starts to build on your optic nerve. It’s very important to get treatment for glaucoma before this point.

If you have narrow-angle glaucoma, you might get a sudden pain in your eyes and forehead as well as blurred vision, nausea, and ‘halos’ in your field of vision. If this happens, you should seek medical treatment right away, as it is an emergency and can cause blindness.

Medicare and Glaucoma Screening

Medicare Part B does not cover most vision services. This is because you can purchase a broader vision plan through Medicare Advantage. However, Medicare Part B does cover yearly glaucoma screenings for those who are at high risk for the condition.

You’re considered to be high risk if you have a family history of glaucoma, have diabetes, are African American and over the age of 50, or are Hispanic American and over the age of 65.

Medicare will also cover a vision test if you are having vision problems that could be linked to glaucoma or another serious eye condition. If your current Medicare plan does not cover regular eye screenings for you, consider investing in a Medicare Advantage plan that has vision coverage.

How Can You Prevent Glaucoma?

Glaucoma often runs in families. If you have a family history of glaucoma, it’s important to start screenings early, so you can get appropriate treatment if it does develop. If you have early-stage glaucoma, your doctor may prescribe eye drops to prevent the condition from progressing.

It’s important to take these eye drops regularly. You also may be able to prevent pressure from building up on the eye with regular moderate exercise. You should also wear eye protection whenever necessary, as eye injuries can cause glaucoma.

Although glaucoma is a serious condition, it can be successfully treated when caught early. Medicare offers regular screenings for high-risk patients. To learn more about Medicare coverage for glaucoma screenings, contact a licensed agent who is a Medicare expert so they can answer any questions you may have.

How healthy are your eyes? Does glaucoma run in your family? Do you get annual glaucoma screenings? Are they covered by your insurance? What advice can you share with our community regarding vision screenings?

When I am feeling hemmed in, the desire to get in the car and head out on a road trip is never far from my mind. Travel by plane, train or bus is fine, but there is something about an automobile that lends an extra air of freedom.

The Urge to Get Going

During this long pandemic, I was missing my sister. A road trip to visit came to mind. During a telephone conversation a few months back, I suggested I could safely drive through four states to visit her. I would add a pop-up tent with a ladder to climb up and make it my makeshift hotel room.

She reminded me we would not be able to do more than wave to each other from a distance so why bother. Such were the crazy schemes that go through a woman’s mind during times like these.

Taking Action

It was for that reason that I laughed aloud while reading a New York Times article about a grandmother, Su Min, who was fed up with staying home. “Life was just too upsetting,” she said and headed out on a road trip with no particular destination. And where does she spend her nights? Well, of course in a rooftop tent above her car.

I’m thinking this desire for women to get away on a road trip must be a worldwide phenomenon. Although her reasons to head out on a solo road trip were different than mine, Su Min’s need to get away was strong. So strong, in fact, for this grandmother from Central China that she didn’t just daydream about it, she took action.

Apparently, after living the dutiful life of a wife, mother and grandmother, Su Min decided it was time to exit the life of expectations. Now, although she is traveling alone, there are more than a million social media followers on the journey. She has been on the road for six months with no end in sight.

She posts videos on the Chinese version of Tik-Tok. In her posts, she speaks of a lonely and sometimes violent marriage.

What Hides Behind This Urge?

This was not a sudden whim on the part of Su Min. She gathered information from many sources and looked for equipment that would best suit her – like a pop-tent that would fit atop her vehicle. Add a portable refrigerator and a rice cooker to the tent and she was on her way.

Su Min’s road trip has her meeting people at every stop, solves problems along the way, and helps her makes friends with other women, young and old, as they share experiences online.

I ponder whether the reason for women who feel this need to hit the road is a general discontent with life. I know women who are in solid relationships without major family problems who, nevertheless, sometimes feel the need to make a solo exit and get away by themselves.

This may be a type of life passage for women who have reached a certain age or time in their life. Su Min is retired, in her 50s and until recently took care of her twin grandchildren. She had done her homework, and this was her window in time.

That Window in Time Is Important

How often does an opening in the calendar come when your grown children and spouse or significant other don’t depend on you, emotionally or physically, to support them in their lives. How many women retire only to find that responsibilities of aging parents come before that grasp for freedom on the road?

Su Min knows she will return to her family at some point but is nowhere ready to do so. She plans to visit most of China and expects it will take two years. Now, that’s a road trip!

Have you, or do you know anyone, who determined to take a solo road trip to escape a situation or to get to know themselves better? Do you think this could be a passage many women feel but most don’t act on?

I have found that in many cases a divorcing couple becomes focused upon the division of assets without consideration to the cost of ownership and income tax issues, which can create a significant imbalance.

Before you sign a Property Settlement Agreement (PSA), be sure that you truly understand the financial implications it will have upon you both in the near term and especially for your long term financial wellness. In addition, the division of the property may have effects upon the amount of spousal and child support being paid.

Let me give you an example and then I will outline a few items that can make a big difference in the negotiation process.

One Hypothetical Scenario for Dividing Assets

The couple has accumulated $250,000 in a joint investment portfolio, $500,000 in retirement accounts and has about $450,000 of equity in their house, all considered marital. Ignoring other assets for this illustration, the simple thing to do would be to sell the house and divide all of the assets equally.

However, doing this could create an imbalance due to the joint portfolio unless each position in the portfolio were equally divided. That is because certain holdings in the portfolio may have capital gains while others may have capital losses. Let’s say the husband offers to retain the XYZ fund valued at $125,000 and suggests that wife retain the ABC fund with the same value.

However, upon further analysis it is determined that the cost basis for the XYZ fund is $150,000 and the cost basis for the ABC fund is $50,000. The accounts are not equal! The XYZ fund has $25,000 of capital losses while the ABC fund has $75,000 of capital gain, a huge difference! The losses are tax deductions while the capital gains are taxable income!

A Second Scenario

Alternatively, the wife says she wants to retain the house and is willing to allow the husband to keep all of the retirement assets in return. Would you take that deal? From a pure monetary position it would appear that she gets $450,000 of equity and gives up $500,000 of assets.

There are two issues to consider in this trade off; the first is that the house has a significant carrying cost for the mortgage, taxes, insurance and maintenance while the retirement account has no cost to own. Secondly the equity in the house may be partially taxable if overall appreciation is more than $250,000 and the excess would be subject to capital gains while the retirement plan will grow tax free (deferred) until withdrawn at ordinary tax rates.

Now, which deal would you rather take: the house or the retirement plan?

There are other considerations but the point is that unless all assets are divided equally, it is imperative to understand the cost of ownership (cash flow) and the real net after tax value before making a decision on the division of property in a divorce settlement.

Understanding Your Decisions and Assembling a Team

Unfortunately, what often happens is that the lawyers are negotiating on your behalf and ask you if the division of property is okay with you once they have reached a tentative agreement. In most cases, your ability to make clear decisions is impaired due to the emotional stress and strain of the divorce process.

As a result, a year or two later you wake up and realize that you really did not understand the consequences of your decisions but cannot go back and make changes.

My suggestion is to form a team of legal, mental health and financial professionals to assist you during the divorce process, regardless of the divorce methodology chosen – another topic for a future article!

Do you understand the legal issues related to a Property Settlement Agreement? Did you have a team of professionals help with your divorce? What kind of bargain seems fair to you in your circumstances today? Please share your experience and advice in the comments.

Editor’s note: This article is not intended to provide legal or financial advice. Please consult your financial professional regarding your situation.

Melissa Gorga’s Black Leather Confessional Look

Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 11 Fashion

While it’s not exactly leather season, Melissa Gorga’s black leather confessional dress is worth noting, like the majority of her looks. And while I’m left wondering when and where I’ll wear a leather dress after my move to Austin, I think the rest of ya’ll need to scoop up a similar style ASAP to save for next szn.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Nookie Cleo Midi Dress Sold Out at Envy

Click Here to Shop her Nookie Cleo Midi Dress in size XL

Originally posted at: Melissa Gorga’s Black Leather Confessional Look

Hunter McGrady started her career as a straight-size model when she was 15 years old so she has a unique understanding of body positivity at every size. She went on to become the first plus-size model—at a size 16—to appear in a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. That’s why when I got a chance to talk to McGrady about pregnancy presentation while plus-size and skincare, I also wanted to hear her opinions on the never-ending mid-size vs plus debate on TikTok. As expected, she had some thoughts.

McGrady is working with Olay on its sun-ready seasonal favorites: Olay Regenerist Whip SPF 25 and Olay Retinol24 Night Moisturizer. Since the model is pregnant, she’s sticking with just hydrating products for now and picking the retinol back up post-baby. (Talk to your doctor to find out what’s right for you.) “At the very beginning of my pregnancy, I decided to simplify my routine,” she tells STYLECASTER. “Now, it’s washing my face and using the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream.”

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“It’s funny how your skin reacts to less, less is more in this case,” she continues. “My skin looks so good now! Anytime I add anything else and do too much, its overload. Especially with Olay, I know the products are so good and hydrating, everything you need overall in one product.” Unlike some other celebs we know, McGrady also makes sure to wear sunscreen.

Of course, I use the Olay SPF every day,” she says. “My skin has gotten really dry and sensitive during pregnancy, so I had to pivot and find my holy grail product.” Olay skincare is a family affair for her. She uses the Olay Regenerist Ultra Rich Face Moisturizer ($29.99 at Target) just like her mom and grandmother did. “I remember vividly watching them put it on,” she says.

McGrady is about to become a mother herself. And she’s taking to Instagram to share photos of herself while pregnant to shed light on the lack of plus-size pregnancy representation out there. “Being plus-size, you already have the cards stacked against you. Being plus-size and pregnant, forget about it,” she says. “When I Googled pregnancy, I’d see thin women with just a belly and no weight anywhere else. I’m a larger girl, I’m a size 20. I knew that wasn’t going to be me.”

McGrady looked to magazines, websites, even the brochures at the OB-GYN’s office and couldn’t find any pregnant plus-size women. “I went to social media and heard from women who never even took photos of themselves because they were embarrassed that there was something wrong,” she says.

Source: Instagram

Speaking of women feeling there is something wrong with them, I asked McGrady about the current discourse happening on TikTok. Many around a size 10 or 12 are calling themselves mid-size, while some size 14+ are calling the term fat-phobic. The mid-sizers are saying they don’t want to co-opt a movement. It’s a lot of time and effort to just continue to label ourselves.

“As women, we already have so much stacked against us and we often make it really hard when we do things like this,” says McGrady. “The body-positive movement was started by fat black women. We have to honor that and know that. Though of course the body-positive movement is for everyone to be at peace with their body.” McGrady also doesn’t love that we’re forcing people to feel positive about their body all the time. It’s okay to be more neutral.

“We’re putting each other in little groups and having this war, which goes against the movement as a whole,” she continues. “We can honor where it stems from first, and then have a conversation. I’ve been every size, two through 20, so I understand. But plus-size women have it harder than mid-size or thinner women. That’s based on facts, but it’s not to take away from how others feel.”

Source: Instagram

McGrady gets asked all the time if the fashion and beauty industries have changed in terms of size inclusivity. She sees some progress but feels we have a long way to go. “People still don’t hire us because of our size,” she says. “That’s why I like to work with brands like Olay that know we’re all beautiful no matter our size.”