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New Survey Shows Few Americans Taking Care of Their Most Valued Sense: Eyesight

Misconceptions still surround eye health, according to American Optometric Association.

ST. LOUIS, MO, Oct. 18, 2007– Bad habits are hard to break when it comes to eye health. A new survey from the American Optometric Association (AOA) shows that Americans are continuing to practice poor eye care – despite the fact that they view their eyesight as their most valued sense.

According to the AOA’s 2007 American Eye-Q® survey, almost half of respondents indicated eyesight as the sense they most worry about losing, yet admitted to knowingly engaging in behaviors that could be harmful to their eyes and vision, including poor contact-lens hygiene and avoiding eye exams. The annual American Eye-Q® survey identifies attitudes and behaviors of Americans regarding eye care and related issues.

The survey also showed that Americans have misconceptions about eye-related health. Most (69 percent) respondents thought that carrots are the best food to eat for eye health. In fact, spinach contains the best nutrients for the eye, but only 9 percent knew that.

And when asked to identify behaviors that are most harmful to the eyes, most people believed it was either reading under dim lights (cited by 83 percent) or sitting too close to the television (cited by 78 percent). Although these behaviors are uncomfortable and can negatively affect the eyes or one’s vision, they are not the most harmful behaviors.

According to the survey results, habits that can be most harmful to eyes are not widely understood. Sixty-nine percent of respondents correctly cited smoking cigarettes and 61 percent correctly noted that eye-rubbing can be harmful. But only 54 percent cited drinking alcohol, and 27 percent cited drinking caffeine – both considered potentially detrimental to eye health by the AOA.

Contact Lens Hygiene

Contact lens safety and hygiene proved another area of concern. Among survey respondents who wear contact lenses, 79 percent admitted to practicing poor contact lens hygiene on a regular basis, including showering, swimming and sleeping in contacts not approved for overnight wear, as well as wearing contacts longer than the suggested timeframe.

“Contact lenses are among the safest forms of vision correction when patients comply with the care and wearing instructions provided by their eye doctor,” said Dr. Hilary Hawthorne, optometrist and AOA’s Vision and Learning Expert.  “Because lenses are so comfortable, it’s easy for people to get careless. However, the consequences may be dangerous, and failure to follow proper contact lens hygiene could damage eyes.”

A simple, often overlooked, step is replacing the contact lens case. In fact, only a third (32 percent) of survey respondents who wear contact lenses said they change their case every one to three months as recommended by the AOA; and 17 percent admitted they never change their lens case at all.

The AOA recommends the following steps for contact lens wearers:

  1. Always wash your hands before handling contact lenses.
  2. Carefully and regularly clean contact lenses, as directed by your optometrist. Rub the contact lenses with fingers and rinse thoroughly before soaking lenses overnight, using enough multipurpose solution to completely cover each lens.
  3. Store lenses in the proper case, and replace the case at a least every three months. Clean the case after each use, and keep it open and dry between cleanings.
  4. Use only products recommended by your optometrist to clean and disinfect your lenses. Saline solution and rewetting drops are not designed to disinfect lenses.
  5. Always use fresh solution to clean and store contact lenses. Never re-use old solution. Contact lens solution must be replaced, according to the manufacturer's recommendations, even if the lenses are not used daily.
  6. Replace lenses on the schedule prescribed by your optometrist.
  7. Remove contact lenses before swimming or entering a hot tub.
  8. See your optometrist for regular lens and eye examinations.

Regular Visits to the Eye Doctor

Even though Americans need to see an eye specialist to get prescriptions for new lenses or glasses, a surprising percentage of respondents admitted they are lax about scheduling regular eye exams. Thirty-two percent of Americans who wear contact lenses or glasses said they have not visited an eye doctor within the past year.

Respondents who wear corrective glasses or lenses aren’t the only ones who aren’t protecting their eyes as well as they could be.  Survey respondents who don’t use any corrective lenses also do not visit an eye doctor or eye specialist as often as they should; 35 percent admitted they have not visited an eye specialist for five years or longer.

Another 11 percent of non-users said they get an eye exam only every three or four years. And 22 percent of non-users said they have never had their eyes checked by an eye doctor or eye care specialist.

“Frequent optometric examinations are a critical part of a person’s preventive health care routine,” said Hawthorne. “Many eye and vision conditions present no obvious symptoms. Therefore, individuals are often unaware that a problem exists. Early diagnosis and treatment are important for maintaining good vision and preventing permanent vision loss.”

Eye Diseases

Most respondents demonstrated a basic understanding of the relationship between healthy eyes and a healthy body. Specifically:

  • Most (64 percent) knew that diabetes can be detected through a comprehensive eye exam, and 41 percent knew that a person with diabetes should have an eye exam at least once a year.
  • More than half (51 percent) knew that hypertension also can be detected through a comprehensive eye exam.
  • And almost half (49 percent) knew that such exams can even identify brain tumors.

However, fewer than half (37 percent) knew that a comprehensive eye exam can detect conditions including cardiovascular disease, some cancers (41 percent) and multiple sclerosis (22 percent).

Common Misconceptions

Results of the 2007 American Eye-Q® survey suggest that more education is needed to help people distinguish myth from fact. For example, while most survey respondents had an opinion as to the leading cause of blindness in the U.S., only 24 percent correctly identified the cause as macular degeneration.

Other common misconceptions about eye health uncovered by the survey included:

  • Two thirds (67 percent) of Americans believe that glaucoma is preventable with proper eye care.
  • Fewer than half (45 percent) know that during pregnancy, women may need to change their corrective lens prescription.

And, for some things, perhaps wisdom comes with age: 44 percent of Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) knew to use a cold compress to reduce under-eye puffiness, versus only 30 percent of Gen-Xers (born 1965-1978).

”The good news is that taking care of your eyes, glasses and contact lenses is simple and routine for most people,” Hawthorne said. “I find that the more people know about their eyes and their overall health, the more likely they are to make consistent eye care part of their healthcare routine.”

For additional information on eye health, please visit www.aoa.org.

About the Survey:

The second American Eye-Q® survey was commissioned by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC). Using a random digit dialing methodology, ORC conducted interviews with 1,000 Americans 18 years and older who embodied a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. The margin of error is ±3.1 percent for the general population. All data is weighted to represent the U.S. general populations with respect to gender, geographic region and age group.

About the American Optometric Association (AOA):

The American Optometric Association represents more than 34,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and paraoptometric assistants and technicians. Optometrists serve patients in nearly 6,500 communities across the country, and in 3,500 of those communities are the only eye doctors.

American Optometric Association doctors of optometry are highly qualified, trained doctors on the frontline of eye and vision care who examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders of the eye. In addition to providing eye and vision care, optometrists play a major role in a patient’s overall health and well-being by detecting systemic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Doctors of optometry have the skills and training to provide more than two-thirds of all primary eye care in the United States.

Prior to optometry school, optometrists undergo three to four years of undergraduate study that typically culminates in a Bachelor of Science degree in a field such as biology or chemistry. Optometry school consists of four years of post-graduate, doctoral study concentrating on both the eye and systemic health. In addition to their formal training, doctors of optometry must undergo annual continuing education to stay current on the latest standards of care. For more information, visit www.aoa.org.

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