HEALTHY LIVING
Make use of your HSA, FSA funds for eye care
As the year winds down, it is a great time for you to knock things off your checklist, such as annual doctor visits, gift lists and travel plans, so that you can enjoy the holiday season. One crucial doctor’s appointment that many put off is an annual eye exam. Annual eye exams can help you stay current with your prescription, give you an opportunity to discuss contact lens options if you feel discomfort in your current lens and help your eye doctor detect any eye diseases or vision problems. Maintaining your annual check-up with your eye doctor is vital for your overall health, but another good reason to visit your eye doctor is so that you can take advantage of any remaining funds in your flexible spending account (FSA) to help cover the costs of your annual exam and/or contact lenses.
How to safeguard your eye health and comfort
No matter your age, it’s important to have a complete eye exam every year, and to take care of your vision by protecting your eyes from common stressors and hazards.
Here are some ways to ensure your eyes stay healthy and feel their best.
1. Schedule your annual eye exam
If it’s been over a year since you’ve seen an eye care provider, make an appointment for an eye exam. Your eye care provider not only checks your vision, but they can assess other issues of eye health such as dry eye and glaucoma, which can affect people of any age (though both are more likely to affect older adults).
2. Consider a contact lens upgrade
If you need corrective lenses, ask your eye care provider about the TOTAL family of products, which use proprietary Water Gradient Technology for ultimate comfort. The lens material features a gradual increase in water content, approaching 100% water at the surface, so nothing touches your eye but a gentle cushion of moisture.
“Many patients who wear contact lenses think it’s normal to experience a little discomfort or dryness and may hesitate to bring it up during their annual eye exams, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” says optometrist Melanie Denton Dombrowski. “My patients who switch to the Alcon TOTAL family of products tell me they are pleased to experience exceptional comfort. I’m very happy I can now offer the same level of comfort to everyone, even my patients with astigmatism.”
Available options include:
- Dailies TOTAL1®, Dailies TOTAL1® for Astigmatism and Dailies TOTAL1® Multifocal are the first and only Water Gradient, daily disposable contact lenses that are designed so that nothing touches your eye but a gentle cushion of moisture, providing exceptional comfort.
- TOTAL30® is the only Water Gradient monthly replacement lens and is clinically shown to feel like nothing, even on day 30. The advanced technology of TOTAL30® is durable and remains intact during a full month of wear with daily cleaning, disinfecting and storing.
“Contact lens options differ by length of time they’re intended to be worn, and the type of vision correction needed,” says Dr. Denton Dombrowski. “Your eye doctor can help determine your vision correction needs and which lens is right for you.”
To learn more about the TOTAL family of contact lens options, visit TotalContactLenses.com.
3. Practice good eye care
A few simple habits can help reduce eye strain and protect against common irritations. This is crucial for those who work long hours in front of computers or spend time outdoors in the elements.
- Don’t rub your eyes — The surface of your eye scratches easily, and even gentle rubbing may cause debris to damage your cornea. If your eyes feel gritty, try a premium lubricant eye drop, like Systane.
- Take breaks — Whether you spend the day in front of a screen or out in the wind and sun, rest your eyes occasionally by closing them briefly, or looking away from the screen or the sun for a while. Optometrists recommend computer users follow the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes spent staring at a screen, look at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.
- Use protection — Spending time outdoors? A UV-shielding pair of sunglasses can help protect your eyes from several eye health risks and discomfort. It’s also a good idea to avoid looking directly at the sun.
- Practice good hygiene — Always wash your hands before handling contact lenses or other eye products, and make sure the tip of an eye drop bottle never touches your eye or anything else directly.
If you’re looking for ways to use up the last of your FSA funds, think about making a visit to your eye doctor to discuss comfortable lens options. Use these tips to safeguard your eyes, and learn more about contact lenses and other products to help care for your eyes at TotalContactLenses.com.
Rx only. Ask your eye care provider for complete wear, care and safety information.
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HEALTHY LIVING
A lesson in kindness, inclusion and how kids eat differently
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(Feature Impact) The school year brings new classmates, routines and opportunities for children to learn about people whose experiences may be different from their own. They could include friends who use a wheelchair, carry an inhaler or even receive nutrition through a feeding tube.
Watch this video to learn more
For families who rely on tube feeding, it is an essential part of daily life but is often understood only by those who experience it. That limited awareness can leave children who are tube fed and their families feeling isolated or unseen, according to Gerard Minor, a pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology specialist.
Parents can use everyday questions as opportunities to help children understand there are many ways people receive nourishment. Teachers, classmates, caregivers and communities can also help make tube feeding part of the everyday conversation around childhood rather than something that separates children from it.
“Helping children understand those differences early can encourage curiosity, kindness and inclusion,” Minor said.
To help bring greater awareness, understanding and representation to children and families who experience tube feeding every day, Compleat, a leader in tube feeding formulas, launched “What Is Better Than How,” featuring “Sesame Street’s” Elmo and his signature warmth and curiosity. The original song celebrates the many ways people eat. Some people eat with a fork, some use a spoon and some use a tube, reinforcing a simple message: What matters is not how you eat. What matters is that you are nourished, loved and included.
To hear the song, create a personalized version and learn more about the campaign, visit Compleat.com/WhatIsBetterThanHow.

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HEALTHY LIVING
Dry eye: An overlooked perimenopause, menopause symptom
(Feature Impact) Dry eye is one of the most overlooked symptoms of perimenopause, the phase of fluctuating hormones leading up to a woman’s final period, and menopause, the point in a woman’s life when she’s gone a year without a period.
In fact, 79% of women1 recognize hot flashes as a symptom of menopause, but only 14% recognize dry eye as a menopause-related symptom, according to the 2026 Bausch + Lomb (Peri)Menopausal Survey. What’s more, 78% of women1 were surprised to learn that dry eye is a symptom of perimenopause or menopause.
“Dry eye is still widely overlooked as a symptom of menopause, and many women think it’s just a minor nuisance, but the truth is it can significantly affect your daily life,” said Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, IFMCP, FOWNS, founder, Integrative Vision. “Early symptoms are often misunderstood or self-treated but it’s very important for women who experience symptoms to see an eye doctor and get an accurate diagnosis and treatment.”
During perimenopause and menopause, declining hormone levels can impact tear production, tear quality and tear evaporation, contributing to dry eye symptoms including redness, fluctuating vision and a gritty or tired feeling in the eyes, all of which can impact day-to-day comfort and quality of life. If left untreated, dry eyes may worsen over time, potentially impacting eye health and vision. Among peri-, menopausal and post-menopausal women who experienced dry eye, 80% said the symptom came as a surprise.
Respondents reported their dry eye symptoms caused difficulty reading (58%), difficulty using screens (53%), difficulty driving (26%) and reduced productivity (17%), underscoring the often-overlooked impact dry eyes can have on everyday life.1
However, there are a variety of products and treatment approaches available to help manage dry eye symptoms. For example, Bausch + Lomb offers a range of options designed to address the main causes of dry eye.
A doctor-recommended, clinically proven once-daily soft gel supplement that targets the key root causes of dry eyes, Blink NutriTears supports healthy tear production and provides lasting, continuous relief.* § As part of a comprehensive approach to dry eye management, the supplement can be used with Blink Triple Care Preservative Free Lubricant Eye Drops, which are designed to directly address tear evaporation, one of the leading causes of dry eye, and provide instant and long-lasting symptom relief.
An eye care professional can help determine the approach that’s right for each individual. To learn more about dry eye and products to help combat it, visit JustBlink.com.
| *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. |
12026 Bausch & Lomb (Peri)Menopause Survey via Suzy, n=402; Women ages 30–80+ who are perimenopausal, menopausal, or post-menopausal
§Based on a clinical study

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HEALTHY LIVING
Life insurance is on the to-do list right after cleaning out the garage!
(Sheeka Sanahori) Being an adult comes with a never-ending list of responsibilities: Cook dinner. Scrub the bathroom. File taxes. The tasks grow even longer when sharing a household with a partner, building a family, or taking care of others. No matter how you define “adulting,” getting life insurance tends to be one part of the to-do list that keeps getting set on a procrastination loop.
New survey data backs that up: there are plenty of other tasks adults would rather focus on first.
The Adulting Task Americans Keep Avoiding
According to the 2026 Life Happens Life Insurance Survey, a financial literacy nonprofit organization, 39% of U.S. adults would rather clean out their email inbox than figure out their life insurance needs. Another 31% would rather clean out the garage or basement. One in five U.S. adults would be willing to sit on hold with customer service for three hours before life insurance planning. Even though many adults have it somewhere on their list, nearly half (46%) say they’ll either deal with it later or not at all.

They Know It Matters
Nearly a third of adults have already figured out a life insurance plan, and they feel good about their decision. Others are feeling more conflicted: 14% have a policy, but they’re not sure if they have enough. Another 12% say they either don’t know where to start or they think it’ll be too expensive.
It’s no wonder people are putting it off: Navigating a new-to-them form of financial planning can come with a lot of complicated emotions. Four in 10 feel either overwhelmed, anxious, or some combination of both. Sixteen percent of U.S. adults feel guilty for putting it off, but when the outcome is more procrastination, that feeling lingers.

Why Later Keeps Winning
If you’ve ever faced an important decision without having enough information to make an informed choice, you know how stressful it can be. While the generations have different takes on making major decisions with a gut feeling or “pure vibes,” most of the time, people want to feel like they’re making an informed choice. Forty-five percent of U.S. adults say cost concerns, confusion or procrastination are the main reasons they have delayed or would delay looking into life insurance. For more than one in five, the plan is to seriously look at it when they feel more financially stable. For 12%, they say they’ll do it when they’re older.

Men tend to feel more confident about their life insurance decisions to date; 53% of men vs. 41% of women feel confident their family would be financially protected.
The First Step Feels Bigger Than It Is
Learning more about life insurance, how it’s priced and how it works could help get many consumers out of their procrastination loop. A quarter of people say they’d make a decision if they learned it was easier to get than they previously thought. Thirty percent would make the purchase if they learned it was more affordable than they believed it to be. Others need an experienced professional to talk to or an online calculator tool to give them guidance.
Methodology: Life Happens commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 adults, including 700 Gen Z respondents, 700 millennials, and 600 Gen X respondents throughout the United States. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 2 percentage points and +/- 4 percentage points for each generational sample, with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between July 14 and July 20, 2026. Atomik Research, part of 4media group, is a creative market research agency.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock (couple using computer)
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