Yet Another Warning about Eye Safety and Sports

"August is Children's Eye Health and Safety month and pediatricians are being advised to educate parents, coaches and young athletes about the dangers of eye injuries, urging them to wear protective goggles when they participate in sports, in particular for high-risk sporting activities, including fencing, boxing and ball sports, such as soccer, basketball, softball, lacrosse and baseball," notes Medical News Today. "Pediatric ophthalmologist Michael X. Repka, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, who is also deputy director of ophthalmology at the Hopkins Children's Center explains:

'As training season begins, and as children resume practice, emergency rooms across the country may see an influx of eye injuries from sports - yet most if these injuries are highly preventable by wearing protective goggles.'"

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Risk for Age-Related Eye Disease Increasing in U.S.

"The number of Americans at risk for age-related eye diseases is increasing as the baby-boomer generation ages." That's the start of the Introduction for the fourth edition of "Vision Problems in the U.S." as published by Prevent Blindness America. "These conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, affect more Americans than ever before. Disturbingly, the number of Americans with age-related eye disease and the vision impairment that results is expected to double within the next three decades. As of the year 2000 census, there were more than 119 million people in the United States in this age group. The table on the following pages provides an overview of the U.S. population age 40 and older by race and sex." Get the report and to see the table, click this link.

Another take on the study: "A study from Johns Hopkins University is showing an increasing number of vision impairment problems and blindness in those over 40. The report released today by Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows a surprising 23% increase since 2000," according to a Medical News Today post. "The preliminary update to the 2007 Prevent Blindness America Economic Impact of Vision Problems report, pegs the problem as costing an extra $1 billion in medical care, informal care and health-related quality of life. Further cost data and a full updated report on the economic impact of vision problems will be available in the near future." Read more.

Two Tests Measure Vision for Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients

Two new computerized tests increase the ability to measure remaining vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and other blinding diseases, reports a study in the October issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry, according to a press release. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.The new tests can assess visual acuity below the limit of detection of standard tests—and may play an important role in evaluating new treatments for severe vision loss, such as artificial retinas. The study was performed by Ava K. Bittner, O.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University. Read more.