I Can See Clearly Now.

If there is one thing I would be devastated to lose it would be my sight. But, considering this, it is probably the one aspect of my health I pay the least attention to. My daughter wears glasses so she has regular vision check ups but my husband and I don’t. Why? For some reason it is down on the priority list but after spending a week with CNIB’s eye disease simulators it has made its way up to the top.

As we age our eyes, just like the rest of our bodies, are at greater risk. The thought of being unable to see, for me, is up there with my greatest fears so being educated on the risks and having regular check ups is key. This past week I had the opportunity to wear glasses provided by CNIB that gave me a sense of what life might be like with one of the 4 leading eye diseases.

Here is a sense of what the world might look like if we don’t take the time to make vision a priority:

This is what I might look like if you had cataracts.

2.5 million Canadians have cataracts! Cataracts can be identified easily during a regular eye check-up and removed through a simple surgical procedure. No need to suffer with increasingly blurry vision.

This is what I might look like if you had age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

AMD affects 1 million Canadians and is the leading cause of vision loss. It is a progressive disease that affects your central vision and vision lost through AMD can not be restored. However, there are treatments to prevent it from getting worse so the sooner AMD is diagnosed the better. Another great reason to have regular eye exams!

This is what I might look like if you had glaucoma.

Pretty scary stuff. There are 250,000 Canadians with glaucoma but only 125,000 are aware they have it. It is the second most common cause of vision loss in seniors in Canada. Glaucoma is painless and has no symptoms. There is no cure for glaucoma but it can be treated if detected early.

This is what I might look like if you had Diabetic Retinopathy.

Can you imagine?! Diabetic Retinopathy affects 500,000 Canadians. Everyone with diabetes is at risk of developing DR, but people with type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience vision loss sooner than those with type 2 diabetes. Lost vision from DR cannot be restored, but there are a number of treatment options.

I know, it is a harsh reality but it certainly got me motivated. Not only am I booking appointments for myself and my husband but I am going to check in with my dad to make sure he is having regular eye exams. These disease can be treated and in some cases vision can be restored but early diagnosis and intervention are key.

Do you, like me, put regular vision check ups at the bottom of your list?

Do you want to see what your world might look like with one of these eye conditions? There’s an app for that! Download CNIB’s iSimulator today for free on iTunes!

For more information or to locate an optometrist near you, visit www.eyesareforlife.ca

This
post is sponsored by the CNIB. May is Vision Health Month, and CNIB is
challenging Canadians to take action to maintain their vision health so
that we can eliminate avoidable sight loss in Canada.