Optometry's national mobilization for America's year of the eye exam

In 2020, the American Optometric Association (AOA), affiliate organizations and doctors of optometry are implementing a multi-channel initiative to make 2020 the year of the eye exam.

As part of the #2020EyeExam initiative, the North Carolina Optometric Society (NCOS) is encouraging all North Carolinians to make eye health and vision care a priority by scheduling an in-person, comprehensive eye exam with an NCOS doctor of optometry.

The NCOS is also calling on employers throughout the state to sign the #2020EyeExam Employer Pledge, underscoring their commitment to uphold employee eye health through education and by encouraging employees to get their annual, in-person comprehensive eye examination.

Protect your vision and identify early warning signs
Scheduling a comprehensive eye exam is the simplest step one can take to help protect vision and ensure early diagnosis of and treatment for diseases like glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.

An eye exam also safeguards overall health by enabling doctors of optometry to identify early warning signs and manifestations of more than 270 systemic and chronic diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and cancer. These diseases may go undetected unless regular visits to the doctor are sustained.

For example, in 2018, doctors of optometry identified signs of diabetes in more than 301,000 patients who did not know they had it, leading to earlier management of the disease.

Children's vision
An estimated 1 in 5 children has a vision problem, which can interfere with normal development, school performance, social interactions and self-esteem. Annual eye exams can positively impact a children's performance at school by addressing vision issues that might limit their early development.

Join the #2020EyeExam movement!

EMPLOYER PLEDGE INFORMATION

Did you know?
Up to 16 million Americans struggle with undiagnosed or untreated vision impairments. Combined with the fact that eye diseases, vision loss, and eye disorders create an estimated $139 billion economic burden, the U.S. is facing a significant public health crisis.

Doctors of optometry, the main providers of eye care in America, are committed to upholding the highest standards of care to protect patients and their eye and vision health.

Doctors of optometry provide more than two-thirds of primary eye health care in America and more than 99 percent of the U.S. population lives in counties with a doctor of optometry. In more than 5,800 communities nationwide, doctors of optometry are the only primary eye and vision care providers.