If you have one of the new $5, $10 or $20 bills in your wallet right now, take it out. Also, please take out a single bill in any denomination of the older paper currency.

By the way, you're not going to be asked to spend the money. Instead you'll get to see for yourself the results of a Salisbury study that today affects the entire country.

Incidentally, you can tell if your bill is one of the new ones because the engraving of Lincoln, Hamilton or Jackson will be large, about 2 and 1/4 inches high. With an older bill, the engraving of the president is only a little more than an inch and a half high.

If you have the new bill and the old bill handy, turn the new bill over so that you see the engraving of one of the national monuments. Look in the lower right hand corner of the bill and notice the size of the denomination number.

Let's say you're looking at a $20 bill. The numerals that form the "20" are large, more than half an inch tall, and they stand out against a plain background.

Now look at the older currency. In every case, the denomination numbers are much smaller, and they're surrounded with fussy design elements. For the 2.4 million Americans with vision problems, the denomination numbers on the older bills may be impossible to read.

The Salisbury Eye Evaluation (SEE) Project played a crucial role in helping design the most recent version of our paper currency. In a moment, we'll get to how this happened, but first, what is SEE?

The SEE Project is a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins University's Wilmer Eye Institute for the National Institute on Aging. SEE studies changes in the vision of elderly people and how these changes impact their ability to live independently.

When it started in 1993, it included 2520 participants, all of them 65 years old or older. They were chosen at random, and in the years since, doctors have periodically checked their vision and other health factors.

During this time, the project has amassed more information on vision and the elderly than any study ever undertaken. In the world of vision researchers, this study has put Salisbury on the map.

The reason your prospects are good is that you have available to you the services of the Lower Shore Clinic. The two full-time doctors, the four full-time therapists, plus the part-time therapists and part-time doctor all specialize in mental health counseling.

There have been many results from the research, but perhaps the most tangible is the design changes in our currency. SEE researchers demonstrated that as people age, they may have problems not only with a number's size, but also with the contrast between a number and it's background.

That's because, as we age, we are less and less able to see contrast. Our eyes just don't register contrast as well as when we were younger.

SEE researchers persuaded the currency designers to take into account both the size of the denomination numbers and the need for high contrast between the numbers and the background. All future paper currency will be designed with these factors in mind.

That means that because of research done here on the Shore, many elderly people who might not otherwise be able to handle their own money are now able do so. No one can calculate the difference this can make to a person's feeling of independence, dignity, and self-esteem.

You may have seen on CNN or the network news another result of the SEE studies. Do you remember several years ago the reports recommending that we all wear hats and sunglasses when out in the sun? .

Those reports were based on SEE studies. As Project Director Jennifer Walker says, "Even small amounts of sunlight exposure can lead to cataracts. When you're out in the sun, wear sunglasses. There's no safe dose."

Next time you look at one of the new paper currency bills or you're out in the sun wearing sunglasses, think of the Salisbury Eye Evaluation Project. It's impacting the whole country and it started right here.

Joan Guzi's Wish List

"I wish every person who has been a part of this study would realize how important their participation continues to be-- they are irreplaceable! I also wish their brothers and sisters would seize their opportunity to join and help us learn about how cataracts run in families."