National Eye Exam Month; exam required for first-time students, new drivers and driver’s license renewals
Kentucky Health News
August is National Eye Exam Month, and state officials are encouraging Kentuckians to prioritize their eye health by making an appointment with their eye doctor.
“Regular eye exams are an important part of taking care of your overall health, regardless of your age, so you can catch problems early and correct vision as soon as possible,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet news release. “It’s also important to remember that students ages 3-6 starting school for the first time are required to have an eye exam.”
In 2000, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a law that requires all children entering public preschool, kindergarten, Head Start or public school for the first time to have an eye examination by an optometrist or ophthalmologist no later than Jan. 1 of the school year.
Roughly 67% of children in Kentucky receive routine vision screening, lagging behind the 72.4% figure in top-performing states, according to Vision Center, an informational website about eye health and vision. Prioritizing regular eye exams throughout a child’s academic years can help them see correctly to succeed in school, sports and life.
“Regular vision exams can catch eye problems in the early stages and prevent vision loss or blindness,” Cora McNabb, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, which includes the Division of Blind Services, said in the release. “It can prevent eye strain from incorrect prescriptions and detect eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma in their early stages.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky has one of the 10 highest rates of visual acuity loss or blindness in the United States. An estimated 93 million adults in the United States have a high risk for serious vision loss, but only half visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months.
An annual eye exam can help adults improve their work performance and overall health, says the release. It ensures that your prescription is correct to prevent eye strain and can detect eye conditions. Further, the release notes that in the digital age, many workers experience eye strain, headaches, dry eyes and worsening vision because of prolonged screen use. Optometrists can also detect early onset signs of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol during an eye exam.
As Kentuckians age, vision problems and eye diseases can compound. For example, the release says cataracts affect an estimated 10-12% of Kentucky seniors, remaining the leading cause of reversible blindness, particularly in rural areas. And, diabetic retinopathy prevalence is reported at 12.5% in Kentucky, exceeding the national average of 9.6%.
Further, a higher-than-average adult smoking rate of 17.4 % in Kentucky is associated with increased occurrence of glaucoma.
National Eye Exam Month is also a good time to remind Kentuckians that, effective Jan. 1, 2025, vision screenings are required for anyone getting a new or renewed Kentucky driver’s license. This new requirement aims to enhance highway safety by ensuring all drivers maintain good vision throughout their years behind the wheel.