1. Eye Health from A – Z

2. Did You Know?
13.5
Vision problems affect nearly
million children in the U.S.
Students, especially young ones, may not know that what they are experiencing is a vision problem
Leads to frustration and worsening academic performance
75% of all blindness and vision impairment is either preventable or treatable

3. Discovering vision problems early on in a child’s life is an important part of helping him or her do well in school.
Avoid frustration
Make reading easier
Make learning more enjoyable
In the case of some vision conditions, early detection and treatment is the only way to prevent loss of sight in the afflicted eye
Start Young!

4. Common Eye Disorders in Children
Nearsightedness (myopia)
Most common visual problem among students
Close objects are clear, far-away objects are blurry
Students may squint to see blackboard or presentation materials
Can be corrected with corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses
Farsightedness (hyperopia)
Astigmatism
Close objects are blurry, far-away objects are clear
Often co-occurs with nearsightedness or farsightedness
Students may squint while reading or hold reading material farther away from face than normal
A type of refractive error caused by an abnormally shaped cornea
Can be corrected with corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses
Can be corrected with corrective lenses such as glasses

5. Common Eye Disorders in Children
Strabismus
Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)
Issue with eye muscles
One eye is stronger than the other
Student’s eyes appear to be focusing on two different points
Student may show signs of strabismus, but the two do not always co-occur
Often co-occurs with amblyopia
Glasses or eye muscle exercises can treat strabismus. Sometimes surgery is needed.
Over time, the brain may begin to disregard signals from the weaker eye
If it is not detected early, amblyopia can lead to a permanent loss of sight in the weaker eye
This disorder is only detectable through an eye exam from an optometrist or ophthalmologist

6. Common Eye Disorders In Seniors
By age 65, one in three Americans have some vision-impairing eye disease
Most don’t know it—often there are no early warning signs
Poor sight is not a natural part of aging
You can take measures to preserve your sight
Have eye disease detected and treated early
Visit an eye doctor at least every 1-2 years

7. Common Eye Conditions in Seniors
Presbyopia
Diminished ability to focus on near objects
Results in need for reading glasses or bifocals
Dimming of vision
Slight loss of retinal function
Beginning cataract(s)
Cataract(s)
Caused by eye’s lens becoming opaque
Smoking increases incidence of some types
Nearly everyone will have them by age 90

8. Common Eye Conditions in Seniors
Dry eye
Caused by insufficient tears or by eyelid inflammation
Persistently painful, stinging or itchy eyes
Glaucoma
Gradually destroys optic nerve
Peripheral (side) vision lost first
Essential for seniors to have comprehensive
eye exam at least every 1-2 years
AMD (age-related macular degeneration)
Leading cause of blindness and irreversible vision loss in seniors
Gradually destroys central retina (macula) needed for sharp vision
Three times more common in smokers

9. Facts about Eye Health – Worldwide
Somewhere in the world, someone goes blind every 5 seconds.
A child goes blind every minute.
80% of all blindness is preventable or curable.
It is estimated that at least 7 million people go blind every year.
Worldwide some 180 million people are blind or visually disabled—the equivalent of two-thirds of the entire U.S. population.
Rates of blindness will double by the year 2020 unless prevention efforts are intensified.
People in developing countries represent 90 percent of the world’s blind population and are 10 times more likely to go blind than those in developed countries.
Africa averages just one ophthalmologist for every 1.25 million people

10. Facts about Eye Health in America
By age 65, one in three Americans has some form of vision impairing eye disease.
Of the 119 million people in the United States who are age 40 or over, 3.4 million are visually impaired or blind. This level of blindness and visual impairment costs more than $4 billion annually in benefits and lost income.
In California, over 13,000,000 people are age 40 or over, and 356,000 are visually impaired or blind. This represents approximately 10% of all visual impairment and blindness in the United States.
People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than people without diabetes.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, and the most common cause of blindness among African Americans.
Nearly three million people have glaucoma, but half do not realize it because there are often no warning symptoms