Early Intervention and Healthy Lifestyle Choices Pevent Vision Loss
David Palmer M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago and Chair of the American Academy Foundation Eye Care America-Senior Eye Care Committee
During Save Your Vision Month in February, EyeCare America – a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology – is urging early intervention and healthy lifestyle choices to prevent vision loss.
Serious eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma often have no early symptoms or warning signs. However, it is in the early stages of eye disease that treatments can most effectively prevent blindness. There are several ways people can safeguard their vision. These include getting regular eye exams, knowing your family history, and not smoking.
Many of us take our healthy vision for granted, but imagine losing your peripheral vision, having a blind spot in the center of your visual field, or, going blind altogether. For more than 4.2 million Americans living with serious vision loss or blindness, these and other vision challenges can make it difficult to enjoy life’s simple pleasures such as reading, playing cards or watching grandchildren grow. Vision loss can also make it difficult to live independently, work or drive.
EyeCare America is committed to preserving sight through education and public service. Established in 1985, nearly 7,000 volunteer ophthalmologists provide eye care to seniors with increased risked for eye disease. 1.7 million people have been helped through the program, with 90 percent of the care provided at no out-of-pocket cost to the patients.