We depend on it everyday. We expect
it to be there for us and to respond the minute we need it. It's
something that we all take for granted until it goes noticeably
wrong. In fact, you're using it right now to read this article ...
it's your eye sight. In the United States, an estimated 80 million
people have eye diseases which can potentially cause blindness,
another 3 million have low vision, 1.1 million are legally blind,
and 200,000 are considered severely visually impaired. The
development or disintegrate of one’s vision can forever affect the
way they learn, communicate, and work, as well as influence their
health and quality of life. Another sobering fact is that visual
impairment is consider to be one of the ten most frequent causes of
disability in the United States. Something else which may be taken
for granted is the ability to easily access much needed eye care.
When a caregiver and their loved one reside in a metropolitan area,
the distance they may travel to get to an eye care specialist, as
well as the length of time it may take to get there can be much
shorter than for their rural counterparts.
Of the two types of eye care
specialists - optometrists and ophthalmologists - optometrists
(doctors of optometry who give specialized eye exams in order to
detect and/or correct vision problems) are geographically well
distributed and are located throughout many of America’s rural
areas. Most of the ophthalmologists (doctors who perform eye surgery
to correct or arrest particular vision disorders and impairments)
are usually located in and around urban and suburban areas. The eye
examinations which optometrists perform can determine if someone is
exhibiting signs of a pre-existing or present condition which could
cause visual impairment or possible blindness. If an optometrist
finds a situation that needs more extensive and specialized medical
attention, they will then refer a patient to an ophthalmologist for
treatment and possible surgery.
Dr. John Whitener, OD, MPH, an
Optometrist who now works for the American Optometric Association in
Washington, DC, says, “People put off eye exams until some sort of
permanent damage has already been done, especially those residing in
rural areas since they have the added barriers of distance and
finances keeping them from receiving proper eye care and exams. Most
vision problems can be prevented. In fact, 90% of diabetic blindness
can be prevented by early detection and treatment.” With the
knowledge of the obstacles that rural caregivers and their loved
ones experience in trying to receive eye care, the Federal
Government has created two programs that may help them receive much
needed care. Both the “Healthy People 2010” and VISION USA programs
hope that people in low income, rural areas will benefit from early
detection of eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, cataract,
glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration through free eye
exams.
The “Healthy People 2010” program
came about from a 1979 Surgeon General's Report entitled “Healthy
People,” as well as from the “Healthy People 2000: National Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives” which was a follow-up
report to the original conducted 21 years earlier. Both of these
reports established health goals on a national level, and have
served as the basis for the development of state and community
plans. The “Healthy People 2010” encourages diverse community groups
to combine their efforts and work as a team in order to improve the
health of those around them. The “Healthy People 2010” program wants
to achieve certain health objectives over the first decade of the
new century, including for the first time vision care and
preventative eye care maintenance as a part of these goals. The
“Healthy People 2010” program now addresses visual impairment due to
eye disease and refractive error and includes regular eye
examinations for children and adults, vision screenings for
pre-school children, injury prevention, and vision rehabilitation.
Many states and communities use the “Healthy People 2010” framework
to create guidelines for local health policies and vision programs.
People who would like to find out more information regarding local
chapters that provide affordable and/or free eye care, as well as
locating the nearest doctor of optometry, can contact 800-262-3947
or go online at www.AOA.org.
Another vision program available to
low-income, working people throughout the United States, including
in rural areas, is VISION USA. The program began nationwide in 1991,
and was developed by doctors of optometry and who are members of the
American Optometric Association. To date, over 314,000 low-income,
working Americans have benefited from the free eye exams provided by
VISION USA. There are at least 40 million people in the United
States who can’t afford the cost of routine eye care or the health
insurance that covers it. Although they may be of low-income status,
they’re considered to earn too much, disqualifying them from
government aid and private health-care assistance. VISION USA is
available year round, helping these people to receive basic eye
health and vision care services free of charge to these people and
their families who have no other means of obtaining care. The
program is available to children and adults of all ages who qualify.
In order to receive free eye care services, the general eligibility
requirements are as follows: person must have a job or live in a
household where there is only one working member; have no vision
insurance; have income below an established level based on household
size; and not have had an eye exam within 2 years.
When an individual or family is
found to be eligible for the program, they will be matched with a
volunteer optometrist who will provide a comprehensive eye exam at
no charge. Eye wear may also be provided at no cost or for a small
fee/donation in some states.
Dr. Whitener agrees that it is very
important for eye care to be accessible for those in rural areas,
not only because of the obvious diseases that can cause blindness,
but because many of these people work on farms and encounter serious
eye injuries due to the nature of their work. Many of them do not
wear safety glasses because they can’t afford to purchase them, let
alone afford the eye exam that is needed for such protective eye
wear. Still, Dr. Whitener is hopeful that programs like VISION USA
and “Healthy People 2010” will continue to expand their work further
and further into the rural areas of America where preventative eye
care is greatly needed. When asked, Dr. Whitener had this to say
regarding the single most important thing that rural caregivers
could do for their loved ones, “When caring for a loved one, there’s
an entire laundry list of things that caregivers must make sure they
do for them every day, however, something like eye care tends to be
somewhere last on this list too often. Caregivers naturally
prioritize the most immediate needs of their loved one, and although
eye care may not be at the top of the list, caregivers must make
sure that it does make the list somewhere. Caregivers should also
remember that if their loved one is 65 or older, an annual,
preventative eye exam is extremely important for them to have,
because it may lead to the discovery of other problems which might
be easily treated and controlled through early detection.”
If you would like to know if you
are eligible for VISION USA, you can apply online at
www.AOA.org/visionusa/index.asp or contact VISION USA at 243
North Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141, and by phone at
800-766-4466, 7 a.m.-9 p.m., CST, Monday through Friday. For
additional information contact:
Ms. Carol Glick, VISION USA
National Coordinator
243 North Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63141
Phone: 314-991-4100, ext. 261
Fax: 314-991-4101
E-mail: crglick@aoa.org
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