The rack change isn't going to matter. Fedor is a beast breaking with the template rack-- and the balls disperse more evenly-- easier to run out, which favors the better shooter.
I think poor Alex is going thru exactly the same problem with his eyes sight that I went thru at his age. I played my first 25+ years wearing contact lens. But once I hit my mid to late forties, my vision (like most peoples) changed and I couldn't see very well up close (reading distance). My pool game suffered. I tried bi-focals, but it actually made it worse. So I compromised and got nice pair of single focus lens. Now my distance vision is a sharp (20/12) but is still blurred for about the first 16" --I read (and check the rack) OVER my glasses lol. But overall I can aim and play much better pool in regular glasses than contacts. In fact, at age 55, I've never shot better! Maybe Alex should try this.
Oh, and I wear a baseball cap to keep the light glare down.