(http://www.PreserveMacForte.com) Millions of Canadians are living with eye ailments that have not yet been diagnosed, reported Abbotsford Times.
According to the article, in excess of 4.25 million Canadians have serious eye problems, but only a small amount of this tally have had their issues diagnosed.
The article cited specialists as saying that some of the more worrisome eye issues come with no warning signs or symptoms in the early stages, which means that they can only be found courtesy of a thorough eye exam conducted by a professional eye doctor. The article added that even people who have 20/20, or perfect, sight could be at risk of coming down the eye disease at some point.
According to the article, records suggest that one in seven Canadians will come down with one of the four most prevalent eye ailments during their lifetime: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma.
Dr. Keith Gordon, CNIB’s vice president of research, said in the article that the “figures are definitely startling,” particularly when “considering” that the majority of vision loss cases in Canada could have been prevented. He added that three-quarters of all vision impairment in Canada be either be avoided or successfully treated. Achieving this, he said, involves implementing some “simple lifestyle changes” and seeing a eye doctor regularly so that problems can be diagnosed early on.
According to the article, CNIB and Doctors of Optometry Canada, in honor of Vision Health Month in May are asking Canadians to make an appointment to get an eye exam from a Doctor of Optometry.
The article cited Dr. Lil Linton, president of the Canadian Association of Optometrists, as saying that people need to take care of their eyes since sight is such a critical part of maintaining a greater measure of independence. Dr. Linton, who is also a spokesperson for Doctors of Optometry Canada, added that Vision Health Month is the perfect time to remind Canadians about the importance of eye health.
According to the article, participating Doctors of Optometry will, for all eye exams performed in May, donate $2.00 to CNIB. People can get more information by visiting the following website: http://www.eyesareforlife.ca .