May is Healthy Vision Month

The following is from a press release from the National Institute of Health. I hope that we can spread the word about the importance of regular eye exams for everyone. I am really surprised that 9% of all Americans have never had their eyes examined.

The National Eye Institute (NEI)is encouraging community organizations and Americans to make vision health a priority. This year’s theme, “Your Eyes are the Windows to Your Health,” highlights the importance of scheduling an eye exam to maintain good quality eye health and preserve the sense of sight.

In a 2005 national survey conducted by NEI and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, 70 percent of adults reported that the loss of eyesight would have a great impact on their daily lives—a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. However, 26 percent reported they had not had an eye exam within the previous two years, and 9 percent reported never having had their eyes examined.

Unfortunately, an estimated 14 million Americans are visually impaired. In fact, the prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness, was shown to have increased 66 percent in the past 30 years, according to a 2009 NEI study. Nearly 11 million Americans have refractive errors that can be detected during an eye examination and simply remedied with glasses or contact lenses, according to the NEI.

Click here for a Link to the NEI web-site.