Give the Gift Everyone Wants

Give the Gift Everyone Wants

Vision is our most precious sense. This holiday season, give yourself, a family member, or a friend a gift wanted and used every day. Give the gift of good vision.

Think about these startling facts

One in four school aged children has a vision impairment significant enough to have a negative affect on their learning.

One in 35 children has amblyopia or lazy eye, meaning the vision in one eye is not correctable to 20/20 acuity.

Two percent of adults over age 40 have glaucoma, which if undetected, and not treated, will cause blindness.

One and a half percent of adults over age 40 have age related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over age 55.

16 percent of adults over age 40 have cataracts.

Diabetes affects 4.1 million Americans over age 40 and 30 percent will develop diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness in our country.

Because of our aging population, blindness is predicted to double over the next 13 years.

I mention this because having healthy eyes and good vision means much more than simply having 20/20 acuity. Many people think that if they seem to see okay, they dont need their eyes examined. But do they see well out of each eye? Do they see well far away and up close? People over the age of 40 begin to have difficulty seeing well up close.

If you spend a few hours on the computer everyday (even if youre young), your eyes may be straining too much which can affect speed of reading, level of comprehension, and visual comfort. What about eye health? Most of the diseases mentioned above are asymptomatic.

The only way to make certain youre seeing your best and have healthy eyes is by having a comprehensive eye examination. Yearly exams are recommended for

Everyone over the age of 40.

Everyone who needs some vision correction (glasses or contact lenses).

Everyone with a strong family history of eye diseases.

Everyone else should have their eyes examined at least every two to three years.

We use our eyes every waking minute of every day. When people were surveyed what their greatest fear was, “losing their vision” topped the list. Yet too few people do anything about this. Think about how difficult your life would be with severely reduced vision or loss of vision. Dont leave good vision to chance.

Seeing your best makes everything in your life easier and more enjoyable work, leisure, sports, driving, you name it. Some people tell me, “I cant come to you because youre not on my insurance plan.” You can go anywhere you want. You may have to pay a little more, but in most cases, its worth it. Dont let a “for profit” insurance company dictate where you go for your eye care needs.

Think about how you spend your money work clothes, casual clothes, exercise clothes, dress clothes, yard clothes, spring, summer, fall and winter clothes. Hundreds to thousands of dollars are spent every year on clothes, hair care, nails, restaurants, Starbucks coffee, car repairs and maintenance, even though theres no insurance coverage for those expenses. So dont just trust your eyes to the lowest bidder in a health plan? Make a smart decision thats best for you.

Take care of your greatest sense and give the gift of sight. Gift certificates for eye examinations, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses make wonderful, thoughtful and welcome gifts.