Eye health matters. The brain uses our eyes to help us to see. Eyesight is connected to brain development. We’ve all heard the expression that the “eyes are the windows to the soul” but little did some of us know that the eyes are a window to our overall health. We don’t generally think about an eye exam saving your life but a comprehensive eye exam can provide important clues in identifying serious underlying health conditions like tumors, aneurysms, MS, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. Diabetes, the number one cause of blindness in Canada, is expected to rise to nearly 14 million by 2026. 20% of newly diagnosed diabetes cases show that the damaging effects of diabetic retinopathy have been occurring for 4-7 years prior to diagnosis.

From six months on we should be working with professionals to monitor eye health in our children. Studies show that 80 percent of what a child learns in school is information that is presented visually. Vision or eye health problems can affect their ability to retain, learn and perform basic tasks. 61% of parents mistakenly believe they’d know if their child had a vision issue.

As we grow older, our eyes may look the same but their functionality changes affecting our colour detection, adjustment to light levels and tear duct issues leading to dry eyes. We may need intervention to deal with glare and ocular diseases like cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration which can lead to vision impairment and affect our daily activities. Seniors with vision or eye health problems experience twice the number of falls, 3 times the incidence of depression, have double the mortality rate and are admitted to nursing homes 3 years earlier.

Join us as we chat with Dr. Clare Halleran, owner of East Coast Eye Care in Clarenville, Newfoundland about the importance of eye health, what we should know about it and what we can do to protect it.