All in the eyes
Eye See You campaign encourages regular eye exams
Fewer Canadian would go blind if they were more vigilant about their eye health, says a Sydney woman who heads a national advocacy group that serves the vision impaired.
Since becoming legally blind 20 years ago, Louise Gillis has dedicated much of her time and energy to the issues facing vision impaired Canadians. And, the former nurse, who now serves as the president of the Canadian Council of the Blind, said the international campaign Eye See You is all about reminding people, especially those over the age of 45, to become more proactive when it comes to caring for the health of their eyes.
“Vision loss can affect anybody, but we’re speaking mostly to seniors because of the drugs that are available now,” said the 68-year-old Gillis, who is also known for her involvement in vision-impaired curling.
“Everybody should be fully informed as to what is available and I’m stressing the word fully so they can make sure they are getting the best care possible.”
Gillis said the fact that permanent vision damage can occur prior to the appearance of major symptoms makes having regular eye examinations that much more imperative.
Gillis also expressed concern that cost has become a significant factor when it comes to choosing a viable treatment option.
She cited a recent investigation conducted by the International Federation on Aging that claimed about one-third of the Canadian medical specialists and family doctors surveyed said they “witnessed a patient’s health suffer at some point in the past year because they were unable to afford better medications.”
“There is very good care out there, but sometimes some treatments are cheaper than others — what we are saying is that cheaper is not necessarily better,” said Gillis, who added that the Canadian Council of the Blind is continuing to lobby for the availability of the best medications possible for Canadian patients regardless of cost.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, about 500,000 Canadians live with significant vision loss that impairs their quality of life. Using 2013 data, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind estimated the direct health costs of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss, to be about $1.8 billion.