By Stephanie Ciccarelli
September 28, 2011
Did you know that 75% of vision loss is preventable?
While this sounds like music to our ears, you do need to take steps to protect your eyesight.
Hear about what you can do to fight this battle on a personal level with tips from Canada's vision health charity, CNIB.
Each year, CNIB, Canada's vision health charity, helps over a million Canadians who are living with vision loss or caring for a loved one with vision loss. That's everyone from grandfathers to daughters to infants and preschoolers.
836,000 Canadians live with blindness or vision loss AND every 12 minutes, someone in Canada experiences vision loss.
Vision loss costs Canadians $15.8B every year. That's more than all cancers and heart-related diseases.
All this being said, did you know that vision loss can be minimized through preventative measures?
à¹ Have regular eye exams
à¹ Quit smoking
à¹ Eat healthy and keep active
à¹ Protect your eyes from sunlight
à¹ Wear eye protection
à¹ Consider vitamins
Seeing your optometrist regularly is good because serious conditions can be present without symptoms and others can progress rapidly if not treated.
You wouldn't necessarily link smoking to vision but people who smoke are 3 to 4 times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Quit now to reduce the risk!
Eating Well and Being Active
What goes into your body also plays a role in how your vision is maintained. Choose vitamin-rich foods and keep active. CNIB cautions that excess weight, a sedentary lifestyle and high blood pressure are eye condition risk factors.
So Bright You Need to Wear Shades
Whether it's tinted glasses, sunglasses or a hat with a brim, take steps to ensure your eyes are not exposed to direct sunlight. CNIB suggests that you wear a hat and sunglasses with at least 98% UV protection.
Play it safe by wearing approved safety glasses when taking part in sports or working with tools.
If you have dry AMD (Age-related macular degeneration), talk to your doctor about ocular vitamins. Yes, there is such a thing!
The gift of sight is something we shouldn't take for granted. Representatives from the Voices.com team will be at the CNIB SENSEsation unGala on Friday night to help bring out the funky and fabulous in Londoners and hope to hear many stories of vision health and vision hope.
What does vision health mean to you?
Looking forward to your comments!