Transitions: children and sight protection are the focus of the debate
Children's eyes are very vulnerable since they are not fully developed. Hence, prevention and protection from early infancy are the levers that can ensure vision health and wellbeing for a whole lifetime. The debate between prestigious international ophthalmologists during the European Society of Opthalmology's congress held in Vienna focused on these issues.
Promoted by 'Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund' and coordinated by Emmanuelle Ribot-Mariotte, Transitions Optical , the meeting witnessed the participation of world famous ophthalmologists - Professors Birgit Lorenz (Germany); Leila El Matri (Tunisia); Marie-José Tassignon (Belgium); Joseph Colin (France); Matteo Piovella and Pier Enrico Gallenga (Italy); and, Vitor Leial (Portugal) - who had already enlarged on the topic at the previous congress held in San Paolo, Brazil.
Transitions Optical created the Fund 'Visual Health for Life' to enhance focus on such a vitally important theme as the protection of sight for a lifetime. The Fund backs initiatives organised by charity institutions and eye specialists to build awareness and develop interest in highly relevant topics of collective interest (i.e. preventing damage to eyes and protecting sight).Transitions Optical, leader in photochromatic lens technology and lens producers' chief supplier throughout the world, has entered into a permanent collaboration agreement with major experts on sight who have both certified and been patrons of the cause of vision health.
The first outcome of meetings held in Vienna involved defining and planning practical initiatives designed to influence both the health of eyes and the vision health of children throughout the world. One of the first initiatives to be defined concerned an extensive awareness building campaign targeted at European consumers and scheduled for 2008; it will also require all participants' commitment to further the project in their respective countries.
'Damage prevention to eyes to ensure healthy sight in the long term must commence in childhood by detecting any problems and their consequences,' said Susan Stenson, Medical Director, Transitions Optical. 'The commencement period of prevention and related interventions is crucial, since certain risk factors are accumulative and could subsequently have a negative impact on eye health throughout life.'
'It is important to realise that, unlike adults' eyes, children's eyes are much more vulnerable to UV rays (UVR) owing to the developing crystalline lens. The fact that children spend much more time outdoors than adults, with a three times higher exposure to the sun, stresses the need to face the negative effects of UV rays, not counting the aggravating fact that 80% of an entire lifetime's exposure to sun rays occurs before 18 years,' continued Emmanuelle Ribot-Mariotte, ECP Marketing Manager, Transitions Optical.
Remarks on the prospect of spreading these topics at a European level were unanimous and positive. 'We hope this project will meet with the consensus it deserves in Italy too. The need to build public awareness on these topics is of vital importance in our country and all initiatives designed to improve our children's vision health and wellbeing are invaluable,' said Dr. Matteo Piovella.
