Pak Tribune, May 15, 2007 ISLAMABAD - Impaired near-range vision may speed older adults' rate of mental decline as they age, study findings suggest. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston found that among more than 2,000 elderly Mexican Americans, those with significant impairments in their near vision tended to show a steeper decline in mental functioning over 7 years. The reason for the link is uncertain, but poor close-range vision may limit older adults' activities -- including mental "exercises" like reading and crossword puzzles -- and thereby contribute to cognitive decline, according to Dr. Carlos A. Reyes-Ortiz, the study's lead author.