Part 1 of 2 parts
August has two events for our eyes.
The first is Children's Eye Health and Safety Month and the second is
Cataract Awareness Month. I will start with children as they need
out attention. While most children most often have healthy eyes,
there are some things that you as a parent should be on the watch
for. This is particularly true if you have had some of the problems
as a child.
It is important to set up regular
pediatric appointments and vision testing should start no later than
by age three. Parents should be aware of signs of vision problems
about this time also. First, here are some easy things to watch for
and should have the pediatrician check for if you have noticed any of
the following:
#1. Amblyopia (lazy eye)
#2. Strabismus (crossed eyes)
#3. Ptosis (drooping of the eyelid)
#4. Color deficiency (color blindness)
#5. Refractive errors
(nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism)
The parents can discover some of the
above by watching for them. If you have a family history, be on the
watch for these, as you will know them. Also be on the watch for
disinterest in reading or viewing distant objects (near or
farsightedness). If you child is squinting or turning their head in
an unusual manner while watching television and especially if there
in a disinterest is watching television or a movie with the family.
Use this month to discuss the
importance of eye safety with your children. More than 12 million
children suffer from vision impairment, and eye injuries are one of
the leading causes of vision loss in children. There are an
estimated 42,000 sports-related eye injuries each year and the
majority of them happen to children.
Children should:
- Wear protective eyewear while participating in sports or recreational activities.
- Play with are age-appropriate toys. Avoid toys with sharp or protruding parts.
One of the best ways to ensure your
child keeps his/her good vision throughout life is to set a good
health example. Come on parents, you can do this.
Cataract Awareness Month is a good time
to check with your eye doctor and have yourself checked out if you
are over the age of 40. Some say this is fifty, but as important as
eye health is, the sooner, the better for your vision. Even though
much of the literature is trying to change this from August to June
per the Prevent Blindness America organization, the calendars still
list August as the month.
Having a cataract is a clouding of the
eye’s lens which blocks or changes the passage of light into the
eye. But unlike many eye diseases vision loss due to cataracts can
be restored. Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed
procedures in the United States and has a 95 percent success rate. A
study has found that cataract surgery patients had a significantly
reduced rate of hip fractures from falls.
Having a cataract in one or both eyes
generally does not cause pain, redness, or tears. These changes in
your vision may be signs of cataract, and I urge you to be check out
if you have blurred vision, double vision, ghost images, the sense of
a "film" over the eyes. If lights seem too dim for reading
or close-up work, or you are "dazzled" by strong light. If
you are changing eyeglass prescriptions often, I would wonder if your
doctor is failing you by not checking for cataracts, because you may
notice that the change is not helping your vision. Lastly, you may
notice a cataract as it may appear as a milky or yellowish spot in
the pupil instead of the normal black.
Do not be afraid to ask that the eye
doctor check you for cataracts, as most eye doctors do check and can
tell you if there is any concern. Both my ophthalmologist and
optometrist have warned me to have this checked at every visit as
they could see an indication, but that it was too early to do
anything yet.
National Immunization Awareness Month
(NIAM) is important. I have had several immunizations in the last
year and will have at least one more in the coming year. My
veteran's administration doctors stay on top of this and keep a
calendar for me, thank goodness. And in 2004, when I was doing a
fair amount of overseas travel, I needed to have a lot of catch up
immunizations.
During the month of August, state and
local public health departments across the country will be promoting
back-to-school immunizations, encouraging college students to catch
up on immunizations before they move into dormitories, and reminding
everyone that immunizations are needed through adulthood.
NIAM activities are coordinated by the
National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) with assistance
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National
Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. They are preparing
a toolkit on immunizations. “The toolkit is structured to help
you communicate about immunizations for a different population each
week of the month:
- Week 1: Back to school (children)
- Week 2: Off to college (young adults)
- Week 3: Not just for kids (adults)
- Week 4: A healthy start (babies & pregnant women)
The toolkit contains a number of
resources for each week:
- Key messages (including social media messages)
- Sample news releases and articles
- Suggested events and strategies”
Please be sure to review your
immunization schedule and bring your immunizations up to date and
stay healthy.
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