May 18, 2004

     Imagine not being able to read the newspaper, order from a menu, or drive a car.  No one wants to rely on others to cross the street or go grocery shopping, but these everyday tasks often cannot be completed without healthy vision.  Good vision is critical to conducting activities of daily living, is important for language, and affects developmental learning, communicating, working, health and quality of life.

 

     Unfortunately, far too many people are at risk for losing their eye sight.  More than 80 million Americans have a potentially blinding eye disease, 3 million have low vision, 1.1 million are legally blind, and an additional 200,000 are more severely visually impaired.  Despite the fact that half of all blindness can be prevented, far too many people do not access the care they need.  If nothing is done, the number of blind and visually impaired individuals will double by 2030.

 

     That is why awareness, early diagnosis and prevention are so important.  Nationally, May is recognized as Healthy Vision Month.  In Texas, Prevent Blindness Texas has designated the month of May as Sight Saving Month.  Therefore, it is fitting that this month be used to raise awareness about the various conditions that can affect eyesight and cause vision loss.  

 

     A coalition of leading eye health experts has released Vision Problems Action Plan, A National Public Health Strategy, which provides our nation with a framework for preventing vision loss.  A key recommendation of this strategy is to increase public awareness of the leading causes of vision loss:  diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts.

 

     More than 370,000 Texans currently suffer from diabetic retinopathy.  Diabetic retinopathy occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy retina is necessary for good vision.  All people with diabetes – both type 1 and type 2 – are at risk for retinopathy.  Between 40 to 45 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes have some stage of diabetic retinopathy.

 

     Early diagnosis is the key to preventing diabetic retinopathy. Studies have shown that early diagnosis and timely treatment can prevent vision loss in more than 90 percent of patients.  Unfortunately, many people with diabetes do not get an annual dilated eye exam. An estimated 50 percent of patients are diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective.

 

     Another leading cause of blindness is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that primarily affects the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision.  You may be at risk for AMD if you are over 50, Caucasian, and use tobacco products. Research also suggests that long-term diets low in certain antioxidant nutrients may increase the risk of AMD. At least 92,000 Texans over the age of 50 live with AMD.  Because AMD often damages central vision, it is likely the most common cause of legal blindness and vision impairment in older Americans.

 

     Glaucoma damages the optic nerve which carries visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma often causes peripheral vision loss, which is often unnoticeable until a significant amount of nerve damage has occurred. For this reason, as many as half of all people with glaucoma may be unaware of their disease.  Factors for glaucoma include age, race, diabetes, eye trauma, and long-term use of steroid medications.

 

     Cataracts, which affect more than 1.2 million Texans, occur when the eye's naturally clear cornea is clouded.  Cataracts may be the result of a lifetime of exposure to ultraviolet radiation contained in sunlight, or may be related to other lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking, diet, and alcohol consumption.  While cataracts can be treated through surgery, many individuals still aren’t treated for this condition.

 

     Whether you have diabetes, AMD, glaucoma or cataracts, the common theme to eye health is prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.  Eye sight can be saved, but once it is lost it can never be retrieved.  To learn more about vision loss prevention, visit www.healthyvision2010.org, www.preventblindness.org, www.cdc.gov, or www.lighthouse.org.

 

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