National Eye Health Care Month

January is known as the National Eye Care Month. This month is mostly devoted by most eye care professionals across the globe to the advertising of healthy vision. Optometrists and ophthalmologists also recommend strongly that we get our eyes checked almost every year, and what better time to do so than in January when most hospitals provide all free checkups.

It does not matter whether we wear corrective lenses or not, or even if we think our eyes are in perfect condition. Getting the regular eye exams is a necessary part of our overall health care, and vital to make sure our continued healthy vision.

January is also the Glaucoma Awareness Month. Close to three million people actually have glaucoma, but half of them do not realize it because there are often no warning symptoms. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States of America and the first major leading cause of preventable blindness. Approximately 120,000 Americans are mostly blind because they suffer from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the United States of America. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among the African-Americans as well. It is 6 to 8 times more common in African-Americans than the Caucasians. The most common form is the Open Angle Glaucoma which accounts for 19% of all blindness among African-Americans compared to the 6% in Caucasians.

In order to promote healthy vision throughout the country the optometrists and ophthalmologists have declared that January would be the National Eye Care Month. With virtually every other month being dedicated to some cause or the other then why not a month dedicated to the preservation of healthy vision, as well.

It is extremely important that our entire family undergoes an eye exam each year, if we want their vision to remain perfect. National Eye Care Month is the perfect time to schedule for such appointments. For the sake of us as well as our children, we should make proper eye care one of our new year's resolutions, and will be giving the family the ultimate gift - the gift of sight.

Another way you can help us to celebrate National Eye Care Month, is to donate your old eye glasses to the local charity places or take them to the optometrist to be given to someone who needs them more. Many charities across the globe take big donations of used eye glasses, which could be given to those who are financially unable to purchase their own. Many optometrists also donate their time in mobile eye clinics to provide eye care to those who are indigent. These people who have no home are in need of our help to ensure that their vision does not fail ever. Donating our used eye glasses to a charity or to the optometrist could possibly help a homeless person to see well enough in order to obtain employment and also become self reliant.

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate the National Eye Care Month, the fact still remains that our eye health, and the health of our family's eyes, should be the number one priority.