THE PRENTICE,CHARLES,F. MEDAL AWARD LECTURE 1992 - OPTOMETRY AND THE PRESERVATION OF VISUAL HEALTH

The discovery that sunlight is the primary causal factor in a family of serious eye diseases is doubly significant because it offers a simple, safe, and inexpensive means of preventing all of them simultaneously. The need for prevention is underscored by the terrible expense of sunlight-related eye diseases-$50 billion for cataract surgery in the U.S. during the past decade, plus the added cost to society of visual impairment and blindness. There is widespread scientific agreement that the use of eyewear with lenses that preferentially absorb the high-energy components of the solar spectrum, including 100% of UV radiation, will substantially reduce the risk of all sunlight-related eye diseases without interfering with visual function. A program to preserve visual health by such means can be based primarily on public education. Because the method of preventing these diseases is the use of appropriate eyewear, this unprecedented opportunity falls within the field of expertise of optometry.