National Eye Institute Designates May as Healthy Vision Month

BETHESDA, Md.—As part of the 8th annual Healthy Vision Month observance this May, the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, is encouraging community organizations and Americans to make vision health a priority. This year’s theme, “Your Eyes are the Windows to Your Health,” highlights the importance of scheduling an eye exam to maintain good quality eye health and preserve the sense of sight, according to an announcement from the NEI.

In a 2005 national survey conducted by NEI and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, 70 percent of adults reported that the loss of eyesight would have a great impact on their daily lives—a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. However, 26 percent reported they had not had an eye exam within the previous two years, and 9 percent reported never having had their eyes examined.

Unfortunately, an estimated 14 million Americans are visually impaired. In fact, the prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness, was shown to have increased 66 percent in the past 30 years, according to a 2009 NEI study. Nearly 11 million Americans have refractive errors that can be detected during an eye examination and simply remedied with glasses or contact lenses, according to the NEI.