Choices

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

HOW EYE HEALTH ISSUES CAN IMPACT YOUR FAMILY, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM

There's a lot more to eye health than you might imagine. For example, did you know that complete eye exams can help reveal other health problems like cardiovascular disease and diabetes? And, what about the link between behavior and vision? Did you know that research shows seven out of 10 juvenile offenders have uncorrected vision problems?

Read on to find out more about these important issues surrounding vision, and what you can do to protect your family's eyes.

kids

The U.S. may be considered the richest country in the world, but more than half of the kids whose families live below poverty level have uncorrected vision problems that can interfere with reading, writing, and learning.

Income aside, a quarter of all schoolage children have a vision problem that's serious enough to impact learning as well as behavior.

The importance of eye exams for kids is underscored by the fact that about 80 percent of what children learn before age 13 comes through their eyes.

While some schools provide vision screenings, they are no substitute for complete eye exams. A screening may catch problems like diffi culty reading, but it's not designed to identify more serious conditions like blurred vision and astigmatism.

recommendation: Ask your eyecare professional about Airwear® shatterproof lenses and Transitions® lenses that go from clear inside to dark outdoors. Both are available in Essilor Junior™ Lenses.

sun

Though most of us understand the importance of protecting our skin from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays, most Americans still don't know that exposing their eyes to the sun's UVA and UVB rays can be just as damaging. The effects of UV damage are cumulative. In fact, every year, 3.2 million people go blind from eye conditions caused by prolonged exposure to UV.

However, considering that 80 percent of a person's lifetime exposure to UV occurs by age 18, wearing high-quality sunwear that blocks 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays is just as important for kids as adults.

recommendation: Ask your eye doctor about Xperio® polarized lenses and Transitions lenses.

disease

Most serious eye diseases—including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration—often give no warning and can occur at any age. That's why early detection through annual eye exams is so important.

Eye exams can also reveal other health problems and suggest if you could be at risk for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, or diabetes. So, even if you don't think you need glasses, you still need that annual eye exam. Screenings and simple eye tests are no substitute—they won't be able to detect major eye health problems or other diseases.

recommendation: Schedule your annual complete eye exam.

fatigue

By now, most of us have heard of computer vision syndrome. It's caused by the fact that our eyes and brain react differently to characters on a screen than to printed characters. Add to that overhead fluorescent lighting, and glare from computers and TV screens, plus the fact that we now force our eyes to move back and forth between them and a cell phone or MP-3 player, and you have a recipe for visual fatigue.

Symptoms may include headache, burning eyes, neck and shoulder pain, difficulty focusing after extended periods of close-range activity, and even problems concentrating.

Even if you don't need prescription eyewear, an eye exam may determine that computer or antifatigue lenses can help.

recommendation: Ask your eye doctor about Essilor Computer− or Essilor Anti-Fatigue−lenses