Older Canadians put eyesight at risk: CNIB survey

Older Canadians put eyesight at risk: CNIB survey. Almost half of Canadians over the age of 40 are jeopardizing their eyesight, according to a new survey from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Stock image

Forty-seven per cent of Canadians aged 40 and over are failing to get regular eye exams, which puts them at risk of getting glaucoma.

The disease is caused by increased pressure in the eye, which causes the eye to lose nerve function.

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of vision loss in seniors, after age-related macular degeneration, and affects 250,000 Canadians.

It often hits older people but can strike at any age.

Glaucoma has no symptoms and is usually painless, meaning the disease has often progressed before Canadians see an eye doctor, the CNIB said.

Dr. Keith Gordon, vice-president of research and service quality, calls glaucoma "a silent thief" but said it can be treated with medication.

"Glaucoma is a disease that has no symptoms. We know people are losing a lot of vision due to glaucoma because they are not being examined early enough," he said.

"I don't think we give our eyes a second thought. We take care of our physical health. We don't think of our eyes on the same context. If we see fine, we don't think about it."

While people should consult their eye doctors to see how often they should be examined based on their age and any vision issues they may have, generally speaking, people should have eye exams once every two years, Gordon said.

"We don't want to sound an alarm but we want to say there are large numbers of Canadians not having regular eye exams," he added.

"People don't need to lose their eyesight unnecessarily if they're diagnosed early enough."

According to the CNIB online survey of 648 Canadians aged 40 and up, 71 per cent of respondents would make an appointment with their eye doctor if they were experiencing symptoms; 66 per cent said they would see an eye doctor if they had blurry vision, while 45 per cent said they would if they had pain in their eyes, 44 per cent if they were referred by their family doctor, and 15 per cent if they had red or itchy eyes.

The CNIB is disturbed the survey showed only 24 per cent of respondents said they would have their eyes examined based on family history, even though having a parent with glaucoma is a primary risk factor for the disease.

To raise awareness about the importance of early detection of glaucoma, the CNIB is launching its Eye Care About Canada campaign.

Until May 18, Canadians are invited to upload a photo to www.eyecareaboutcanada.ca depicting their favourite Canadian scene with a brief description of why the location matters to them.

Participants will have a chance to win a trip for two to a Canadian destination selected by survey participants. Destinations of choice include Lake Louise, Niagara Falls or Banff.