May marks National Vision Health Month
May marks National Vision Health Month. Launched in 2014, National Vision Health Month looks to encourage parliamentarians, non-profit organizations, educators and stakeholders to use the month to inform Canadians about eye-disease prevention and vision health maintenance.
With the prevalence of vision loss in Canada expected to increase nearly 30 per cent in the next decade,??Canada is facing a growing yet preventable crisis.
According to Doctors of Optometry Canada, many serious eye conditions don???t have an obvious symptom, which is why routine eye exams by an eye care professional can ensure good vision and eye health.??One in seven Canadians will develop one of the four most common eye diseases in their lifetime: diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Bausch + Lomb is a proud supporter of National Vision Health Month. The company is joined by eye care organizations and professionals across the country to advocate for eye health and increase the number of patients receiving regular eye exams.
Dr. Allyson Tang
Dr. Allyson Tang, an experienced optometrist in Vaughan, has recognized the impact technology has had on our eyes. Canadians are spending 376 minutes a day looking at screens!4
???While technology is empowering, it is also putting a large amount of stress on the human eye, she says. ???We are seeing younger and younger patients with challenges such as dry eyes due to reduced and improper blinking when focused on digital screens. Complaints of digital eyestrain are rampant and we are seeing the onset of nearsightedness at an earlier age. Harmful effects of blue-violet light from digital screens have also been shown in studies.???
National Vision Health Month advocates are encouraging smart decisions in your daily lifestyle to maintain good eye health, including:
- Wearing UV-protective sunglasses all year round
- Taking a 20 second break from your computer screen every 20 minutes
- Maintaining a healthy diet including: dark and leafy greens, such as spinach, kale and broccoli, as well as omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, nuts and seeds
- Supplementing your diet to maintain eye health with products designed to prevent eye disease
???With over 4.25 million Canadians living with a serious eye disease??this is a timely opportunity to inform and educate Canadians about the importance of vision health???, says Omar Martinez, Senior Brand Manager, Bausch + Lomb. ???Our goal is to help Canadians see better to live better.???
Dr. Tang reminds her patients, ???Though we may have measures to manage these conditions, behavioral change and preventative care is still primary; we have to remember to go outdoors and leave technology behind from time to time.???
Beyond eye diseases, approximately 500,000 Canadians are living with significant vision loss that impacts their quality of life and every year, over 50,000 more Canadians will lose their sight.
The time is now to take ownership of our eyes, one of the smallest yet most active muscles in our bodies, and recognize their important component to our overall health. For an overview of Bausch + Lomb???s involvement in National Vision Health Month or a full product listing, please visit www.bausch.ca.
