MARCH 2019 | IMPACTINGOURFUTURE.COM
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An Independent Supplement by Mediaplanet to USA Today
Global Vision & Hearing X Ambassadors keyboardist Casey Harris shares his experience performing with a visual disability
LEARN more about how much your eyewear is really costing you over the course of your lifetime
BROWSE more stories online, including how cataract surgery can save lives in underserved communities
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Helping the World’s Youth See a Brighter Tomorrow
The Reality of Preventable Blindness When we work together today and build for tomorrow, we can succeed against the epidemic of preventable blindness. But we need to start addressing the lack of access to care for people suffering from cataracts. It is estimated that almost 18 million people are bilaterally blind from cataracts, which makes up 48 percent of all blindness cases. About 90 percent of those affected live in low- and middle-income countries. For people in rural areas who can’t travel long distances to find treatment, there is no care available. Lack of access Access to cataract services in a country is measured by cataract surgical rate (CSR), which is the number of cataract operations performed per million people in one year. Studies have shown a correlation between a country’s GDP and its CSR, meaning in poorer countries where most cases of cataracts occur, care is not accessible. Moving forward Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, countries have anywhere from 1-3 ophthalmologists per million people. In South and Central America, the number can be much higher, anywhere from 10-40 per million, but it is still not enough. With so few ophthalmologists, communities cannot meet their own needs. To ensure care in the future, we need to build capacity through education and strategic investment. Matthew Wheeler, Vice President of Communications, SEE International
Over a billion people are blind or visually impaired because they can’t get access to the care they need.
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he global need for vision correction has created disability and a poverty-inducing health crisis worldwide. Over 1.2 billion people are unnecessarily blind or vision-impaired because they can’t get an eye examination and a pair of glasses. To further compound the global burden of vision impairment, evidence is mounting that incidence of myopia — short-sightedness — is growing at an alarming rate. It is estimated half the world’s population will be myopic by 2050. Growing levels of high myopia are increasing the risks of serious eye conditions like glaucoma and cataracts, which can lead to permanent blindness. While 89 percent of uncorrected vision-impaired people live in low-to-middle income countries, if we focus on myopia — expected to affect 5 billion people by 2050 — the risk looms closer to home. The United States population has experienced a 42 percent increase in myopia prevalence, a rate that has nearly doubled over the past three decades. Focusing on child eye health Focused child eye-health programs, when integrated into existing health and school services, have the biggest impact on children’s futures. Left untreated in childhood, vision impairment can have long-lasting consequences including poor educational outcomes, employment opportunities and social interaction. Our child eye-health programs provide access to eye care for all the world’s children by advocating to peak international agencies and funding bodies, and working with governments to integrate child eye-health initiatives into existing health systems and school health programs, and align them with education and social development services.
By co-founding Our Children’s Vision, a global campaign of almost 100 partner organizations in 72 countries, the Brien Holden Vision Institute has helped initiate a call to action. Since launching in 2016, the campaign has helped more than 37 million children receive eye care services by integrating effective, sustainable eye health programs into regional, national and global education and health policy. The goal is to push that number to 50 million by 2020. Emmanuel’s story Every day Emmanuel wished he could go to school. He dreamed of learning to read and of playing with friends. But at 12 years old, he spent his days in his village waiting. Waiting for the other children to return from school and tell him stories of all the things they had learned. Nearly blind since birth, Emmanuel couldn’t see well enough to attend school, help with chores or navigate outside his village safely. One day, Emmanuel’s cousin Yusef told his teacher about Emmanuel’s vision troubles. The teacher, who had learned to screen her students’ eyes, traveled to Emmanuel’s village to administer an eye exam. She discovered Emmanuel was in fact not blind, and only needed a pair of glasses to correct his vision. Wearing his glasses for the first time, Emmanuel could see. He and his mother cried, and Yusuf felt proud. A few weeks later, Emmanuel said to his mother and cousin, “My life is now beautiful, and so is everything in the world. I feel like my life can begin now.” The Brien Holden Vision Institute
Publisher Hailey Pedicano Business Developer Stephanie King Managing Director Luciana Olson Designers Tiffany Pryor, George Kalache Copy Editor Lauren Hogan Director of Sales Shannon Ruggiero Director of Business Development Jourdan Snyder Director of Product Faye Godfrey Lead Editor Mina Fanous Production Coordinator Josh Rosman Cover Photo Lauren Kallen All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.
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Why Laser Therapy Is a Game-Changer for Glaucoma Patients Glaucoma affects almost 90 million people worldwide and is the second leading cause of blindness. Many of the treatment options for glaucoma are invasive, but now there is a new alternative.
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t is a complex chronic disease that damages the optic nerve of the eye and leads to gradual vision loss. Heightened intra-ocular pressure (IOP) of the eye can increase the progression of the vision loss, thus treatments involve lowering IOP. Invasive treatments For decades, the predominant treatment options for glaucoma were eyedrops and invasive surgeries. As with any treatment,
there are pros and cons. Topical medications are effective but can be expensive, cause irritations and can be difficult for patients to manage without professional guidance. Surgeries typically involve the use of small blades to enter the eye and either place an implant or create an alternative pathway for the excess fluid causing the heightened IOP. A new option However, now there is a new alternative
to eyedrops and invasive surgeries. A blade-free treatment is called MicroPulse laser therapy. By using a laser, the surgeon can perform a 2- to 3-minute procedure in an office setting or in the operating room as needed. “Over 110,000 glaucoma patients have been treated with MicroPulse laser therapy worldwide since 2015,” says Dr. Ahad Mahootchi of the Eye Clinic of Florida. “Numerous published studies and clinical
experiences in the United States, Europe and Asia over the last several years have demonstrated that it is a safe and effective option. I regularly treat a wide variety of glaucoma patients with it, and my patients are very happy with the results.” The procedure with the laser is relatively quick, and the patient is able to return to normal activity within 24 hours. n Adrianne Resek, Writer, IRIDEX
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Providing Care to Those Who Need it Most Helping a mother see her child for the first time or giving a father the ability to once again provide for his family is one of the most worthwhile things a person can do.
Musician Casey Harris on Performing With a Visual Disability The X Ambassadors keyboardist discusses his thriving music career and his position as an advocate for blind musicians. How has your visual disability shaped your music career? As far as I can tell you, the biggest two aspects are touring and production — that’s always been a bit of a challenge. I’ve been very fortunate that it hasn’t actually impacted that aspect of my musical career that much, thanks to my bandmates and my brother. The more classical production software and technology has obstacles that are very non-blind friendly. That impacts my ability to produce the same quality of music as other artists because I’m not able to manipulate the software in quite the same way. I’ve been able to work with magnification software to work around that. But it’s becoming more and more evident to me and a lot of visually impaired people that one of the hang-ups is dealing with modern software. Nothing is tactile. Everything is on a computer screen, not a slider or button anymore. Do you think there will be innovations or developments alongside that to balance out the playing field? Or will we need a bit more time to see that accessibility? Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, there were very limited resources. Most software didn’t have adaptive technology. The early smartphones didn’t have any adaptive technology. Now, any piece of tech you pick up will have magnification or screen
readers. But years ago, none of it really emphasized magnification for people with low vision. There isn’t really an obvious way to integrate the music software or synthesizers because what’s on the market currently is so graphic-heavy. I think for the blind and visually impaired community, a lot of individuals out there are finding their own work-arounds. What are some of the biggest strengths you’ve gained from touring with a visual disability or navigating NYC with a visual disability? How have you grown in a positive way from these challenges and milestones? That’s something that I’ve thought about a lot. A lot of this is related to getting older as well. I’m really confident in knowing what I like to do, what I enjoy doing and what I don’t. I think in my early 20s I was so miserable that I couldn’t go out to clubs and do the normal things other people would do. My experience going to a club would be standing in a corner and not only being unable to see but also unable to hear because of the music. There was a time where I was really resentful of that, especially in New York which has such a going-out culture. It’s a very loud environment, and I think that’s fine, but I also discovered that it’s just not something I enjoy doing. I no longer feel like I’m missing out because I can’t do it, but because it’s not something that I enjoy doing in the first place. Having a disability forces you to realize and embrace the things you like and don’t like faster than you would otherwise. n
PHOTO: DANNY LANE
The ability to place the local doctor at the center of the world’s medical crisis is a big part of the mission to restore eyesight everywhere. Providing care “We are not teaching them to fish. They know how to fish better in their pond than we do in theirs,” says the founder of Charity Vision, Bill Jackson, who explains that the goal is to find qualified local doctors with the desire to help their neighbors and countrymen, and then provide them with what they need to accomplish that goal. To keep it manageable, Charity Vision specifically looks for life-changing surgeries that were safe, inexpensive and could be completed in one trip to the operating room. It is not always easy to deal with governments, importation and vastly different cultural norms, but the blessings of this work are incomparable. Restoring sight Simply put, the model of encouraging and facilitating the local community to take part in restoring eyesight works. Every year, 70,000 surgeries, examinations for over 200,000 school children and tens of thousands of prescription glasses are only smaller steps within working with the local doctors. Some of the initial partners have grown into the largest eye programs in their respective countries. Local doctors committed to helping the poor are the No. 1 solution to the lack of care epidemic. Over the course of 30 years, the landscape of ophthalmology has dramatically changed. Quite simply, this work is so critical and timely that some learning while on-the-go is necessary. Doug Jackson, CEO, Charity Vision
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The Lifetime Costs of Eyewear Do you know the lifetime costs of your eye prescription? Zenni Optical, a direct-toconsumer company, helps shed light on some lifetime expenses of designer eyewear.
Trouble Seeing at Night Could Be a Symptom of Age-
• T h e a v e r a g e a g e a person begins needing glasses is seven years old. •
In 2017, global consumers spent $115 billion on eyewear.
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An average adult goes through one pair of eyeglasses per year.
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Children outgrow (or break) two pairs of eyeglasses per year.
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The average retail cost of a pair of eyeglasses is $268.
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Over the course of 12 years, a family of 4 spends nearly $20,000 on eyewear, costing an average of $268.
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Over the same 12 year period, that family would spend $500 at a direct -to-consumer company.
Sean Pate, Brand Communication Manager, Zenni Optical * Data reflects typical consumer purchase behavior of one pair of glasses per adult annually and two pairs of glasses per child.
Related Macular Degeneration As the leading cause of adult blindness in the United States, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is three times more common than glaucoma and affects more than 11 million Americans.
earlier symptom of AMD. As we age, we often notice it is challenging to drive or see at night, or even read in dim light. Rather than chalking this up to “getting older,” you should take this warning sign seriously and see your eye doctor.
Age-related macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease that damages the macula, a small area near the center of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision. In the past, eye doctors were taught to look for declining eyesight, blurry vision or even blind spots as the symptoms of AMD. However, these are latestage symptoms of the disease and often can’t be fixed once they develop. Fortunately, we now know that difficulty with night vision can be a much
How can I be tested for AMD? Historically, eye-care providers relied on a clinical examination to look for tiny cholesterol deposits called drusen. Some may also use genetic testing and macular pigment testing to determine if you are at increased risk for disease. However, for the past several years, many doctors have begun checking retinal function with a device that tests your ability to adjust from bright light to darkness. Studies have shown that this test can
identify AMD three years earlier than a clinical exam. What can I do if I am diagnosed with AMD? The earlier you are diagnosed with AMD, the better. Once AMD is detected, it is important to focus on the risk factors that are within your control. Stop smoking, partner with your primary care physician to lose weight and improve your cardiovascular health. Also, speak with your eye care provider about nutritional supplementation that may include a combination of antioxidants, carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids. n Paul Karpecki, O.D., Director of Cornea Services, Kentucky Eye Institute
Everyone deserves a lifetime of good vision.
The mission of the Retina Foundation is to prevent vision loss and restore sight through innovative research and treatment for people of all ages. • Age-Related Macular Degeneration • Pediatric Eye Conditions • Inherited Eye Diseases To learn more visit www.retinafoundation.org or call 214.363.3911