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with ocular complications. According to the National Eye Health Education Program, more than 70 percent of individuals believe that loss of their eyesight would have the greatest impact on their day-to-day life.14 Optometry’s integration with occupational health aids the prevention of work-related eye diseases, injuries and vi- sion and eye health disorders, provides critical enhancements to performance of workers on the job, and promotes overall employee health. Vision and eye health safety and care that occur within the employment sector often transfer to the family and for activities outside work, at home and during recreation.
The public generally recognizes its reliance on sight and fears its loss. But emphasis on eye and vision health has not been inte- grated into daily life to the same extent as other health promotion activities. Accordingly, to give people “a reason to go” have their eyes examined, a more comprehensive approach to promote eye and vision health and safety is needed. The AOA seeks assistance from occupational health colleagues to encourage all employees to make eye health and safety a priority for 2020 by helping them un- derstand the importance of in-person annual comprehensive eye exams. The AOA has developed outreach materials for this pur- pose and welcomes opportunities to help disseminate this critical message through our #2020EyeExam campaign.
Barbara L. Horn, O.D., was elected as a trustee to the American Optometric Association Board in June 2011 and elected President in St. Louis, Missouri at the 122nd Annual AOA Congress & 49th An- nual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting in June 2019. Dr. Horn is currently a member of the South Carolina Optometric Association and an associate member of the Michigan Optometric Association.
REFERENCES
1. https://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Paper213155.html 2. Zhang, X. et al. Arch Ophthalmol 2007;125:411-418
3. MMWR: December 15, 2006 / 55(49);1321-1325 https://www.cdc.gov/ mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5549a1.htm
4. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/toolbox-eye.html
5. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/cwc/workplace-injuries-involving-the-
eyes-2008.pdf
6. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/cwc/workplace-injuries-involving-the- eyes-2008.pdf
7. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015 Oct 2;64(38):1078-82:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26421663
8. US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Report 597, April 1980.
9. https://www.msdsonline.com/2018/10/23/oshas-top-10-most-cited- violations-of-2018/
10. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/infection-control.html 11. https://www.aoa.org/documents/HPI/HPI%20CoronaVirus%20State-
ment%201-30-20.pdf
12. https://www.ies.org/product/the-lighting-handbook-10th-edition/
13. http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2016/making-eye- health-a-population-health-imperative-vision-for-tomorrow.aspx
14. https://nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/nei-pdfs/2005KAPFinalRpt.pdf
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