The Prevent Blindness Organization has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month. You may be asking yourself why there’s an entire month specifically dedicated to just women’s eye health. Well, the answer is simple: of the 1 million legally blind people in the US more than 700,000 are women. Furthermore, of the 3.4 million people in America who are visually impaired, 2.3 million are women (http://www.w-e-h.org/statistics.html).
Many women forgo their own health needs, focusing instead on the health and wellness of their loved ones. This leaves many women vulnerable to eye health issues, and as with other health conditions, the earlier an eye problem is detected the better the chances are for treatment and recovery. Many eye conditions are treatable or reversible, so it’s critical that women (and men, of course) get regular eye exams – every year after the age of 50.
Why do women have a higher rate of eye health issues?
There’s a number of risk factors at play, including:
- Hormonal changes
- During pregnancy, refractive changes can affect a women’s eyeglass or contact lens prescription, migraines can cause sensitivity to light, diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension can cause blurred vision
- After menopause, dry eye syndrome increases as a result of hormonal fluctuations or the effects from supplements prescribed to reduce other symptoms of menopause
- Age
- Conditions like cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma occur more often as women are living longer than ever before
- Poor nutrition
- Autoimmune diseases
- Smoking
- Obesity
While medical advancements have given rise to more effective drugs and earlier diagnosis of eye health problems, we want to encourage all women, in honor of Women’s Eye Health to schedule an annual eye exam. Call Illinois Eye Center today to schedule your appointment at (309) 243-2400 and ask the women in your life to do the same.