The Low Vision Link… UV and More

2016 • Staff Education

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month and February is AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month. Even if you don’t treat low vision in your practice, it’s important to be able to talk to patients and families, especially about risk factors and resources.

Tip: “Why wear sunglasses? UV and blue light… increase chances of developing macular degeneration. They can also speed up its development,” reports AMD.org.

These statistics are especially pertinent for optical, which shows continued strong growth by independent practices (defined by The Vision Council is practices with no more than three locations).

Here are eights need-to-know facts and figures to share:

 

NUMBERS: Currently, one out of every 28 Americans suffers from some form of low vision. With 8,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, reports AARP, those numbers will continue to skyrocket.

 

COSTS: According to Prevent Blindness, the high cost of vision loss–$139 billion annually in the U.S.–makes it one of the costliest conditions in the country.

 

SMOKING: The Surgeon General reports that smokers are 30-40% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than non-smokers, dramatically increasing the likelihood of diabetic retinopathy.

 

OBESITY: Combine smoking with the fact the Americans are overweight, and it’s little wonder that diabetic retinopathy, as reported in the 2012 Vision Problems in the U.S. Report, has increased among Americans over age 40 by over 89% since the year 2000.

 

AMD: The number one cause of vision loss in older Americans, age-related macular degeneration represents almost 50% of low vision cases in the U.S. The number of diagnosed cases has risen 25% in Americans over age 50 since the year 2000, reports the National Eye Institute (NEI). One reason? Growing up, today’s aging boomers didn’t wear sunglasses.

 

UV: There is a growing evidence suggesting a link between exposure to UV and blue light and the onset later in life of AMD. As reported at AMD.org, which tells consumers to wear their sunglasses: “UV and blue light can damage the retina and increase chances of developing macular degeneration. They can also speed up its development. Therefore, it is extremely important to protect your eyes when out of doors.”

 

FUTURE: Thanks in no small measure to America’s exposure to UV, plus the fact that people live longer, the cost of vision problems will jump by 157% between now and 2050, reports Prevent Blindness.

 

INFORMATION: There are some great resources out there for low vision patients and, just as important, their caregivers. One excellent website you may want to tell patients dealing with low vision in their family about is The Vision Council’s WhatisLowVision.org.

 

The bottom line? Your practice may manage low vision patients internally or it may refer them out. Regardless, the very least you can do as an eyecare professional is explain the link between UV, blue, and AMD…and why it’s so important for patients to wear quality sunglasses.

 

Are you proactive in telling patients about low vision and the long-term effects of exposure to UV? If so, tell us on Facebook here what messaging works with your patients, and how you deliver that information.

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