Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to announce that May 2014 is the first-ever national Vision Health Month, spearheaded by my colleague, Senator Asha Seth.
Millions of Canadians are blind or partially sighted, and the estimated direct and indirect cost of vision loss in Canada reaches into the tens of billions of dollars, making vision loss among the costliest disease groups in our country. Over four million Canadian adults have one of the leading blinding ocular diseases, including macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts.
The soul of national Vision Health Month lies in educating Canadians that the best method of combatitng vision loss is through prevention. Going to a doctor of optometry and having our eyes examined is essential to maintaining good vision, and simple strategies like wearing sunglasses go a long way.
I know that national Vision Health Month will make a great difference in the lives of Canadians.