Vision Wellness: Focus on your vision health
Eighty percent of the world's blindness is preventable, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, so early detection of vision problems is critical to vision health. The leading causes of irreversible blindness - glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and muscular degeneration - advance without pain or other symptoms in their earliest stages.
Here are some more vision health facts:
- More than 1 million Americans aged 40 and older are blind and another 2.4 million are visually impaired.1 This number could double in the next 30 years as the Baby Boomers age.
- On a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the worst thing that can happen to you, more than 70 percent of Americans reported loss of eyesight as a "10" because it can also mean loss of independence, mobility and quality of life.2
- More than 75 percent of U.S. residents between the ages of 25 and 64 use some sort of vision correction.3
- Vision problems in adults cost an estimated $51.4 billion in the United States (including costs to the individuals, costs to their caregivers, and the impact on the U.S. economy.)4
- One out of every four school-aged children has an undiagnosed vision problem that can interfere with learning.5
- After medical insurance, vision coverage is one of the top five most-desired benefits for employees.6
- Vision health can impact your overall health, too. Eye exams can detect symptoms of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.7
1 National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health
2 National Eye Institute and Lions Clubs International Foundation
3 Jobson's Optical Research
4 Prevent Blindness America
5 Vision Council of America
6 LIMRA International
7 Thompson Media Inc
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