Study Says Eye Exams Increasing

The Think About Your Eyes campaign achieved its goal of increasing the number of comprehensive yearly eye exams and vision health awareness, according to an announcement from the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness.

Since its launch in 2010, reaching more than 22 percent of the U.S. population, the campaign has driven approximately 1.6 million comprehensive eye exams (more than 6 percent improvement), and a 36 percent improvement in the number of new patients scheduling comprehensive eye exams. As a result of the overall rise in comprehensive eye exams, eyecare professionals have detected more than 300,000 incremental cases of potentially blinding eye diseases, the Foundation said.

“As an ophthalmologist, I’m thrilled to see that more and more people have become conscious of and proactive about vision health,” said Paul Michelson, MD, Board of Directors, Foundation for Eye Health Awareness. “We hope to continue to educate the public about the preventative benefits of comprehensive eye exams, as often times waiting for symptoms to occur can result in irreversible vision loss due to eye disease.”

Last October, the non-profit organization Foundation for Eye Health Awareness, which promotes awareness about the importance of eye health, became the messenger of the Think About Your Eyes campaign. This agreement allowed the Think About Your Eyes campaign to continue its efforts on a larger scale and enabled the initiative to continue to grow.

“The mission of the Think About Your Eyes campaign is directly in line with the messages of the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness,” said Mike Daley, president and executive director, The Foundation for Eye Health Awareness. “We are honored to work together on this important effort to inform the public about the importance of good vision health.”

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