You might be surprised to know that the cost of adult vision problems in the U.S. is currently over $51 billion a year. Even more surprising is that half of all blindness is preventable eye diseases if discovered and treated early enough.

Our profession is all about healthy eyes and improved vision. It is essential to remember when we are selecting frames and recommending lenses to patients that we are actually a part of the patient’s eye health care team.

We are dedicated every working day of every month to healthy eyes and vision. However, the National Eye Health Institute (NEI), which is part of the Federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), has declared May as Healthy Eyes Month.

There are numerous sources available to assist in celebrating and leading the charge for educating patients and the public about healthy eyes. Just a little searching leads us to multiple resources that have materials and information that can be used for in-house vision screenings or community outreach.

Prevent Blindness has a broad offering of educational materials you can print at no charge. The Prevent Blindness Learning Center includes a vision screening training course, which may be helpful to all in the office.

National Eye Institute has a plethora of information and a comprehensive toolkit that includes a fact sheet, articles, YouTube videos, and Twitter and Facebook posting suggestions. Using resources like this can be helpful year round.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shines a light on healthy vision in May also. They emphasize the importance of a dilated eye exam as well as provide education and information for the public.

The Vision Council provides comprehensive education and research studies on low vision, blue light and digital eyestrain, and eyewear trends.

Take advantage of this opportunity to be a part of the eyecare team as you celebrate and educate in May—and throughout the year. 

• Mindi Lewis
[email protected]
2020mag.com/education