Aging Baby Boomers Unaware of Eye Risk
Aging Baby Boomers Unaware of Eye Risk
Big Rise in Age-Related Eye Diseases Expected
Fewer than one in seven people surveyed (15%) correctly identified at least half of the listed risk factors for age-related eye diseases.
“The survey shows that Americans are more worried about losing weight or back pain than the possibility of losing their vision,” San Francisco ophthalmologist and AAO spokesman Andrew Iwach, MD, tells WebMD.
The world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, the AAO has launched a new web site -- www.geteyesmart.org -- in its effort to open the public’s eyes about age-related vision problems.
Remaining in the dark, Iwach says, will needlessly increase millions of aging baby boomers' risk of losing their sight.
“The good news is that we are living longer,” he says. “The bad new is that our parts aren’t all lasting so we have to put the effort into maintaining them. People have no problem getting their oil changed when their car is running fine, but they usually don’t think about their vision until there is a problem.”
Aging Baby Boomers Unaware of Eye Risk
Big Rise in Age-Related Eye Diseases Expected
Boomers in the Dark
Fewer than one in seven people surveyed (15%) correctly identified at least half of the listed risk factors for age-related eye diseases.
“The survey shows that Americans are more worried about losing weight or back pain than the possibility of losing their vision,” San Francisco ophthalmologist and AAO spokesman Andrew Iwach, MD, tells WebMD.
The world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, the AAO has launched a new web site -- www.geteyesmart.org -- in its effort to open the public’s eyes about age-related vision problems.
Remaining in the dark, Iwach says, will needlessly increase millions of aging baby boomers' risk of losing their sight.
“The good news is that we are living longer,” he says. “The bad new is that our parts aren’t all lasting so we have to put the effort into maintaining them. People have no problem getting their oil changed when their car is running fine, but they usually don’t think about their vision until there is a problem.”