December Is The GIFT OF SIGHT Month

   Gift of Sight Month, established by Versant Health, is a month-long holiday dedicated to helping Americans enjoy the wonders of sight through healthy eyes and vision. For many Americans, that often means having access to care.

Versant Health established the holiday after a Vision Wellness Study found that just 51% of people saw an eye doctor regularly. The same study also noted that 39% of consumers stated cost/affordability as the reason why household members do not see an eye doctor as often as they would like to.

Gift of Sight Month is dedicated to addressing these issues through both education and action. Data shows that routine eye exams not only protect you from devastating eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration, but can also detect any of the most feared diseases plaguing Americans—including diabetes, heart disease, and even dementia—often years before symptoms occur.

In this way, Gift of Sight Month advocates for eye exams as a low-cost, highly effective form of preventative medicine. It focuses on the  connection between eye health, overall health, and wellness, with the eye exam being the crux to this intersection.

Gift of Sight Month encourages people to commit to preserving healthy eyes and vision for themselves, their loved ones, and their community.

• If you have vision insurance, be sure you are using it to get an annual eye exam.
• Give the gift of vision insurance  to yourself or someone you love. The average cost of vision insurance is  $20/month.
• Support a non-profit that provides free eye exams and glasses to children in low-income communities.
• Support a local program that collects, repairs, and distributes eyeglasses to people living in low income communities.

• Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
• Maintain your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
• Know your family’s eye health history. 
• Eat right to protect your sight. 
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Wear protective eye wear. 
• Quit smoking or never start. 
• Be cool and wear your shades. 
• Give your eyes a rest. 
• Clean your hands and your contact lenses—properly.  
• Practice workplace eye safety. 

Check out this website for more info: https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/risk/tips.htm