Canadians have spent the past two years of the pandemic consumed by screens.

A 2021 study from Western University found that screen time use increased in children by an average of 3.2 hours per day following COVID-related school closures. Statistics Canada reported in 2020 that Canadians increased their TV time (60% of men and 66% of women) and Internet usage (63% of men and 69% of women).

As a result, Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) is asking Canadians to give their eyes a break as part of the Screens Off for Sight 24-hour challenge, kicking off at 6 pm on Saturday, March 19, 2022. The annual 24-hour event gives people the opportunity to indulge in many activities away from smartphone, TV and computer screens, while raising both awareness of eye health and funds for new treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases.

The event is also about self-care. The Canadian Ophthalmological Society says our eyes benefit from turning off our screens. Between 50 and 90% of adults regularly using phones and laptops experience symptoms such as red, watery or dry eyes, eye fatigue, difficulty focusing and headaches. That’s because on average, research finds we only blink five times per minute while looking at screens, whereas normally we blink 12 times per minute. The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends the 20/20/20 rule to protect eye health while watching screens: for every 20 minutes of screen time, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eyes a break.

“Over eight million Canadians live with a blinding eye disease that puts them at significant risk of losing their sight, but three out of four cases can be prevented if diagnosed early and with access to treatments,” says Doug Earle, President, and CEO of Fighting Blindness Canada. “Still, the number of Canadians living with uncorrectable vision loss is expected to grow from 1.2 million to 2 million Canadians by 2050, making it clear that we need new treatments and health policy changes to prevent blindness and restore vision. Spending 24 hours without screens shows one perspective of this reality and how important it is for all of us to act now, offering hope to those who have lost their sight and helping us protect our vision for future generations.”

To join the Screens Off for Sight challenge, visit FBCScreensOff.ca, create a personal fundraising page, encourage family and friends to donate and share posts over social media tagging Fighting Blindness Canada and using the hashtag #ScreensOffForSight.

Click HERE for the full press release.

The Contact Lens Institute hosted members of the eye care community from the United States, Canada, and beyond on March 3 to discuss a persistent question: how can practitioners encourage better contact lens compliance among patients?

The online learning event—Making Contact Lens Compliance Stick: EASY Insights, Tips & Tools—is now available for on demand viewing at https://youtu.be/uFKBtVNUKKE.

Contact Lens Institute Board Chairperson Bill Reindel, OD, MS, and Board Member Michele Andrews, OD, were joined by Drs. Chris Lievens, Southern College of Optometry; Mark Schaeffer, MyEyeDr; Bridgitte Shen Lee, Vision Optique; and Jason Tu, Invision Optometry for the one-hour webinar.

The conversation spanned a range of considerations that could lead to more ideal contact lens handling, including understanding patient-specific variables that can drive poor habits, proper hand hygiene instruction, and the selection of modalities and materials matched to individual lifestyles. Simplicity was also a common point raised by the panelists—a factor at the heart of the Contact Lens Institute’s EASY Way initiative.

The EASY Way (Eyes, Awareness, Safety and You) program was developed to help the eye care community promote healthy contact lens wear and care habits among patients in an informative, memorable, and straightforward way. It includes a set of simplified tips, attention-grabbing infographics, and companion digital resources for use in practices, all available at EASYWayProgram.org.

“National consumer research found the EASY Way’s three steps to healthy, comfortable contact lens wear easy to understand and easy to recall by patients,” said Dr. Reindel. “Our work to introduce the program to the eye care community is likewise proving effective.”

Click HERE for the full press release.

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, share that, in accordance with New York State and New York City guidelines and the updated requirements of the Javits Center, proof of COVID-19 vaccination and face coverings will not be required to attend Vision Expo East, taking place Thursday, March 31 to Sunday, April 3, 2022, at the Javits Center in New York City. The announcement follows New York Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement on Friday, March 4 regarding the suspension of the Key to NYC program and the Javits Center’s revised safety protocols.

“The health and safety of everyone in attendance at Vision Expo continues to be our priority,” said Fran Pennella, Vice President, Vision Expo, at RX. “In accordance with New York State and New York City guidelines, we are pleased to introduce revised protocols for Vision Expo East. We encourage our participants to be up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations and ask that anyone who is not up-to-date wear a face covering. We will continue to monitor the guidance of public health authorities and government agencies going forward to ensure we are creating an environment at Vision Expo East that is as safe as possible.”

“As we look forward to Vision Expo East’s return to New York City, we are excited to return to a degree of normalcy in terms of how we gather,” said Mitch Barkley, Vice President of Trade Shows and Events at The Vision Council, co-organizer of Vision Expo.  “As always, we are committed to creating an environment that is comfortable, safe and conducive to conducting business, networking and learning, and we are thrilled to bring the community together in New York in just a few weeks.”

To view the VisionSAFE guidelines and resources, click here.

For more information on Vision Expo, visit  visionexpo.com and follow Vision Expo’s social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.   

Click HERE for the full press release.