e are only as old as we feel and good health is key to our vitality. So it goes without saying that if we want to have a great view of our golden years, having good eye health is essential. “It is something of a truism that we will “outlive our eyes”, but it is not going to happen to everyone and not all diseases will befall all of us,” says Dr. Keith Gordon, Ph.D, Vice President of Research with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). When it comes to eye health, he adds, “One needs to be careful to distinguish between vision loss and a decrease in visual acuity.” Highlighting the top four eye health concerns for the Baby Boomer generation, Gordon points to agerelated macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts as the most common. “All of these eye conditions are related to aging, but can be moderated by
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decreasing sun exposure, eating more healthy and stopping smoking,” Gordon explains, noting that ethnicity and family history are also key factors, as are health conditions such as diabetes. According to Gordon, AMD is the number one cause of vision loss in Canada. “Around 1 million Canadians have some form of AMD. About 100,000 of these have wet AMD, the most serious form of the disease. The risk of getting AMD is increased if one has a first degree relative with the disease,” he said.
While wet AMD occurs in only 10 per cent of all AMD cases, vision loss can occur quickly as new blood vessels start to grow under the macula, leaking fluid into the macula. Injections are required to stop new vessel growth.
OPTICAL PRISM | SEPTEMBER 2013
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