Children’s vision statistics

Illiteracy in children can be directly linked to problems in adulthood, and illiteracy in children is often a result of uncorrected vision problems. Look at these staggering statistics:

• 80% of what children learn comes through their eyes.

• 1 in 4 children has an uncorrected vision problem.

• 80% of children who have trouble reading also have vision problems.

• 50% of children who fail school eye screenings never see an eye doctor.

• 65% to 74% of juvenile offenders have vision problems.

Immediate and long-term benefits

There are immediate benefits to getting children the vision correction they need. Behavior, performance and school attendance improve.

Literacy in children has a direct correlation on productivity in adulthood. Kids who can’t read by 3rd grade are more likely to drop out, earn about 50% less annually as adults and are more likely to be incarcerated.

Prisons forecast the beds they will need in 10 years based on 3rd grade reading levels. – Essilor Vision Foundation

The benefits to helping children who need vision correction are astounding. But what about the costs?

Saving for the future

With uncorrected vision problems comes an increased likelihood of dropping out of school. Here are some more numbers provided by the Essilor Vision Foundation:

• Each dropout costs society $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes and productivity

• Dropouts are more likely to be arrested or become teenaged parents.

• If 1% more males graduated each year, the United States would save $1.4 BILLION annually and have 100,000 fewer crimes.

And the cost to make this a reality — simply the expense of taking a child to get an eye exam and purchase eyeglasses versus $91,000 a year to house an adult inmate.

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According to the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) 2011 American Eye-Q ® survey, parents have some concern about the effects of the evolving technology. Fifty-three percent of respondents with children 18 or younger believe 3D viewing is harmful to a child’s vision or eyes and 29 percent of parents feel very concerned that their child may damage their eyes due to prolonged use of computers or hand-held electronic devices.

“Today’s classroom technology is extremely visual, making it critical for students to maintain excellent eye health,” said James Sheedy, O.D., Ph.D., an AOA technology and vision expert. “Binocular vision, focusing abilities as well as nearsightedness and farsightedness should be checked by an eye doctor yearly, particularly as students head back to school.”

Three-dimensional imaging is a technology that is quickly making its way into the classroom, allowing for virtual tours of museums or views from inside the human heart. But not everyone can see in 3D and some children experience problems. Ten percent of survey respondents report their child experienced headaches; seven percent indicated nausea and six percent said their kids felt dizzy after using 3D technology. Furthermore, the AOA estimates anywhere from three to nine million people have problems with binocular vision, prohibiting them from viewing 3D images.

The use of 3D imagery in schools compounds the already high usage of computer technology in today’s classroom. State-of-the-art computer labs are now mainstream at many schools; students often use laptops, tablets and other digital devices throughout the school day. According to the AOA’s American Eye-Q® survey, 62 percent of parents estimate their child spends one to four hours using a computer, video game, mp3 player or hand-held electronic device each day.

Unfortunately, prolonged use of these technologies can cause eye strain, headaches, fatigue, burning or tired eyes, loss of focus, blurred vision, double vision or head and neck pain. The AOA calls this condition computer vision syndrome (CVS). CVS occurs when eye or vision problems related to near work are experienced during or related to using digital devices.

Students can help avoid CVS by practicing the 20-20-20 rule. At least every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and view something 20 feet away. Studies show that people need to rest their eyes to keep them moist. Plus, staring off into the distance helps the eyes from locking into a close-up position. The AOA further recommends that students take a 15-minute break for every two hours spent on computers or other digital devices.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-data-reveals-parents-concerns-about-eye-and-vision-health-as-more-classrooms-go-high-tech-126574078.html

Polarized Sunglasses inhibit rays of natural light that are focused on a horizontal plane. The term polar, in mechanical layout or in some other technological field of study, signifies lines are at 90 degree angles to one another. Whenever sunglasses are polarized, they’ve got microscopic crystals sandwiched in between sheets of the lens materials which rejects the horizontal light rays.

In addition to folks that like water sports, individuals that reap considerable benefits, because of polarized sunglasses are joggers, motorcyclist, along with golfers. Polarized sunglasses allow each of them see more clearly by reducing surface glare. They are definitely for driving a vehicle, and in reality, minimize glare on the long, flat surface of the hood on the automobile as well as the road’s surface.

For most of our sporting and other outdoor activities, polarized sunglasses are more of a necessity than a luxury. And so with the many choices of polarized sunglasses available, combined with the features and styling of the frames, wearing sunglasses seems as natural as wearing shoes.

LATISSE^® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008, is a novel treatment for hypotrichosis of the eyelashes. Eyelash hypotrichosis is another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes. LATISSE^® is the first and only FDA-approved, science-based treatment to enhance eyelash prominence as measured by increases in length, thickness and darkness of eyelashes.

Latisse is a 16 week treatment. It is applied similar to mascara but used only at night time.

The active ingredient in Latisse is bimatoprost, which is an FDA approved drug used to treat glaucoma and manage ocular pressure.

Some of the most common side effects of Latisse include redness of the eye and an itching sensation at the application site. The product may also cause eye irritation or dryness. In some cases, users of Latisse noticed hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) around the area where the formula was applied, but is rare in patients. This condition may be reversible after you stop using the product.

—-Dr. Patel

Latisse Product Information

Latisse.com

Spending many hours looking at a computer screen can cause a type of eyestrain called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Symptoms include sore, dry, burning or itchy eyes, headaches, back and neck soreness, blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light. A person experiencing CVS may also have trouble shifting their focus between the computer screen and other objects in the room far away or reading up close.

I give my patients helpful hints on how to prevent this type of eye strain.

1) Make sure your screen is at or below eye level so that your eyes aren’t forced to look upward continuously.

2) It’s also good to have a well lit room. According to the Mayo Clinic, “keeping the room softly lit may be more comfortable than having a high contrast between the screen and the surrounding environment.”

3) The most important thing to remember is not to sit too close to the screen. The Mayo Clinic suggests having your face 20 inches from the screen at the least.

4) If you have to squint to read the screen, consider increasing the size of your font or zooming in on the web page.

5) Dryness can cause a lot of the discomfort associated with CVS, so try to remember to blink. I tell my patients to put a post-it note on top of the monitor with the words “BLINK” to help remind them to blink.

6) Practice the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes of computer use, look at an object 20 feet away,  for at least 20 seconds. This allows the muscles controlling your eyes to relax for a short time.

7) Make sure to have an updated glasses or contact lenses prescription to avoid strain due to blurry vision.

— Dr. Patel

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