The Beauty of Light

One of the great pleasures I get from my chosen profession is I travel to several west coast islands both professionally and also occasionally on holiday. For years I used to sail up and down the west coast in late May. That was when May and June were normally sunny and were considered the best time to admire the scenery. My favourite time on board the yacht was the early morning watch just as the sun rose especially if we were at anchor in some remote sea loch. The waves would gently lap against our hull and the seabirds would start calling. As dawn broke and the sun rose the land would be bathed in a wonderful soft orange glow. A perfect start to the day.

As we age our eyesight changes. The lens inside each eye changes shape and colour. You probably have noticed your glasses usually need updated every two years. That’s because the lens inside each eye gradually decreases in optical power. The most obvious sign is when we need to push books and newspapers further away to see them clearly. Another sign is when we need more light to read. By the age of sixty we need four times the level of light we needed at age twenty one. In my household the older generation is putting all the lights on while the youngsters are turning them off.

If you have started to develop cataracts your lenses absorb large quantities of red and yellow light so sunrises and sunsets can become less spectacular and sunlight or car headlights make distant object hazy. If you notice any of these changes you should arrange an eye examination. Cataracts are easily treated and you could start to enjoy our spectacular scenery just as you did when you were younger.