April Designated Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month
Tennessee – More women than men are diagnosed with vision threatening eye disease every year. Potentially blinding diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy strike women in some cases twice as much as men. Prevent Blindness Tennessee (PBT) has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month to raise awareness of eye health and urge women to protect their vision.
Of the more than 3.6 million Americans age 40 and older, who suffer from visual impairment, including blindness, 2.3 million are women. Vision impairment is defined as having 20/40 or worse vision in the better eye, even with eyeglasses. An updated report from Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute shows that not only have the cases of age-related eye disease risen across the board, but that women are still largely more affected than men. In Tennessee, of the 40,000 adults age 50 and older diagnosed with AMD, more than 27,000 are women. And, of the 87,000 cases of diabetic retinopathy in adults age 40 and older, 45,000 are female.
“Early detection and education are keys to preventing unnecessary vision loss due to age-related eye disease,” said Jennifer Gamble, PBT President and CEO. “Most women make it a point to take care of their family’s health needs but, often put off taking care of their own. We strongly encourage women over 40 to make eye health a priority for themselves by having a yearly eye exam.”
Teresa Mealer of Greenfield, Tennessee knows all too well the dangers of putting off eye care. She was diagnosed a few years ago with pseudotumor cerebri, which results from a swollen optic nerve. She began having vision problems but brushed it off as needing new glasses and waited two years before having an eye exam. Now, she is legally blind in the left eye and has lost part of her vision in the right eye. “Since I have become visually impaired, I have lost my independence,” said Mealer. “The thing that really hurts about it is knowing that had I gone to have my eyes checked earlier, my sight could have been saved.”
The 2008 update from the “Vision Problems in the U.S.” study confirmed earlier projections that as the baby boomer population continues to age, the number of those diagnosed with vision problems is also increasing. Vision loss not only detracts from quality of life, it also has a significant burden on the U.S. economy. The costs associated with visual impairment and blindness is estimated at $51.4 billion year.
Prevent Blindness Tennessee urges all Americans to make an eye appointment immediately if they have the following symptoms:
- Unusual trouble adjusting to dark rooms;
- Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects;
- Squinting or blinking due to unusual sensitivity to light or glare;
- Change in color of iris;
- Red-rimmed, encrusted or swollen lids;
- Recurrent pain in or around eyes;
- Double vision;
- Dark spot at the center of viewing;
- Lines and edges appear distorted or wavy;
- Excess tearing or "watery eyes";
- Dry eyes with itching or burning; and
- Seeing spots or ghost-like images.
For more information about eye disease and how to protect your vision, contact Prevent Blindness Tennessee at 800-335-0450 or visit the website at www.preventblindnesstn.org.
