Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 8, 2025 Say nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller How to Get Relief from Dry Eyes Dear Savvy Senior What kinds of treatments are available to combat dry eyes? Since I turned 55, my eyes have become increasingly dry and sensitive. Blinking Brenda Dear Brenda, Dry eye is a very common problem that aff ects an estimated 16 million Americans. But you don’t have to just put up with it. There are lifestyle adjustments and multiple treatment options available to keep your eyes moist and healthy. Here’s what you should know. Dry Eye Problems Dry, red, burning, irritated eyes are one of the most common reasons for visits to the eye doctor, but discomfort isn’t the only problem of dry eyes. Light sensitivity and blurred or fl uctuating vision are common problems too, and worse yet, dry eyes are more likely to get scratched or infected, which could damage your vision permanently. The reason people get dry eyes are because they either don’t produce enough tears to keep their eyes properly lubricated, or because they produce poor quality tears. In some cases, dry eyes can be triggered by medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid diseases, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome. It can also be brought on by age (tear production tends to diminish as we get older), eye conditions, eyelid problems, certain medications, environmental factors and even LASIK and cataract surgery. Dry eyes are also more common in women, especially after menopause. Lifestyle Adjustments The fi rst step experts recommend in dealing with dry eyes is to check your lifestyle and surroundings for factors that might be contributing to the problem and make these adjustments: Avoid blowing air: Keep your eyes away from air vents, hair dryers, oscillating and ceiling fans and consider buying a home humidifi er. Blink more: When you’re reading, watching television, or using a smartphone, tablet or computer, take frequent breaks because these activities cause you to blink less often. Avoid irritants: Avoid smoke-fi lled places and if you swim, wear goggles to cut down exposure to chemicals. Use moisture chamber eyeglasses: These goggles/ glasses wrap around the sides of your face to seal off your eyes from wind, dust and other drying irritants. These are available in many styles, and some in the Airshield collection from 7Eye.com can be made with prescription lenses. Check your meds: Dozens of prescriptions and over the counter (OTC) drugs like antihistamines, decongestants, diuretics, beta-blockers, antidepressants, tranquilizers, and Parkinson’s medications can all cause dry eyes. If you’re taking any of these, ask your doctor about alternatives. Get more omega-3s: Studies show that eating more fi sh and other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (or take a supplement) helps some people. Treatment Options If adjusting your environment and habits doesn’t do the trick, there are a variety of OTC eye drops called artifi cial tears, along with moisturizing gels and ointments that may help your eyes feel better. If you experience a lot of burning, try another product or opt for a preservative-free formula. Or, if you have itchy dry eyes, you may get more relief from antihistamine eye drops, like olopatadine (Pataday) and ketotifen (Alaway, Zaditor), or decongestant eye drops like naphazoline/glycerin (Clear Eyes). If the lifestyle and OTC treatments don’t help, see an ophthalmologist. He or she can offer additional advice and may prescribe medication. There are several FDA approved medications for dry eye like Restasis, Xiidra and Miebo. If your dry eye is severe and does not improve, your doctor might recommend some offi ce procedures like punctal plugs, thermal pulsation, meibomian gland expression, and intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy. These procedures target the underlying causes of dry eye, such as meibomian gland dysfunction or tear drainage issues. Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. T nior ior Irrevocable Trusts here are several reasons why one might look to a transfer to an irrevocable trust instead of an outright gift of assets to children. Below are a few of those reasons: If a parent simply makes a gift of an appreciated asset to a child, for example, upon that parent’s death there is no “step-up” in cost basis equal to the fair market value of the asset as of the date of death. Whatever that person paid for the asset originally, becomes the cost basis in the hands of the children and on a subsequent sale there may very well be a signifi cant capital gain. The asset could be appreciated real estate or stock. We refer to the cost basis tax concept where a parent simply makes an outright gift to a child as “carryover cost basis”. A properly drafted irrevocable trust will provide for the step-up in cost basis of the appreciated asset so that upon the individual’s death, the fair market value at that point in time is used to determine cost basis going forward. The trust is drafted so as to include the asset as part of the taxable estate. If the gross estate is less than $15 million for federal estate tax purposes (as of 1-1-26), there will be no federal estate tax. In Massachusetts, the exemption has now risen to $2million. So in all likelihood, there will be no federal estate tax (and possibly no Massachusetts estate tax as well) to be paid upon death and the children will get to use the fair market value at date of death for purposes of determining capital gains and losses in the future. That is certainly a lot better than using the purchase price of the asset 50 years ago as the children’s starting point. Control of assets. If assets are transferred to an irrevocable trust, the Settlor/Donor of the Trust can still maintain control over the trust assets by serving as Trustee. Even if the Settlor/ Donor is not the Trustee, he or she can retain the power to remove the Trustee and name a successor trustee if he or she is not happy with the way the trust is being administered. If serving as Trustee of an irrevocable trust, the Settlor/Donor would not need the consent of the children to sell real estate that is housed in the trust. He or she could sell the real estate, invest in another piece of real estate or sell the real estate and simply invest the sales proceeds in a stock, bond, or mutual fund portfolio, money market account, annuity, etc. The key is that the irrevocable Trust must be drafted properly if the Settlor/Donor of the Trust is to serve as Trustee. The Settlor/Donor cannot, under any circumstances, be entitled to receive any principal from the Trust. Only income can be distributed to the Settlor/Donor of such a Trust. The irrevocable Trust has significant more safeguards in terms of protecting the trust principal. Creditors of the children would not be able to attach the assets while held in the irrevocable trust. If the assets were given to the children directly, no such protection would be provided. There are so-called “spendthrift” provisions that are designed to protect the benefi ciary’s interest that is held in the irrevocable trust. The Settlor/Donor has the right under well-settled trust law to include such provisions in order to protect children against possible future creditors, spouses in a divorce proceeding or even against a bankruptcy fi ling. The irrevocable trust will also protect a beneficiary’s own children if that beneficiary were to die prematurely. The benefi ciary’s share will remain in trust for his or her own children with the trustee able to distribute income and/or principal for the children’s health, education, maintenance and support. Only at certain ages would the children be able to demand from the trustee to withdraw his or her share of the trust. If a benefi ciary is incompetent, or if the benefi ciary is suff ering from alcoholism, drug addiction or a gambling addiction, the trustee would have discretion not to allow for distributions of principal, which would only result in the money being squandered. Only an irrevocable trust can provide for this feature. Outright gifts simply cannot. Capital gains exclusion on the sale of the home. An irrevocable trust will also provide for the Internal Revenue Code Section 121 capital gain exclusion on the sale of the principal residence in the amount of $250,000 for a single taxpayer and $500,000 for a married couple. Even though the house is placed in the trust, the exclusion will still apply. This avoids the situation where the house is sold by the children who might be the remainder men on the deed subject to a life estate in the mother or father. If the children do not live in the home, no exclusion is available to them. Only the portion of the sale attributable to the value of the life estate will be aff orded the capital gain exclusion. Furthermore, if the mother or father were on the verge of going into a nursing home, the sales proceeds attributable to the mother or father would have to be spent down on nursing home care. No such problem exists with an irrevocable trust. The irrevocable Trust is drafted as a grantor-type Trust thereby allowing the Settlor/Donor to take advantage of the capital gain exclusion on the sale of the principal residence. Joseph D. Cataldo is an estate planning/elder law attorney, Certifi ed Public Accountant, Certifi ed Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a masters degree in taxation.
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