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Three in four baby boomers rank vision as the most important sense
ORLANDO, Fla. — Baby boomers value vision highly and worry about vision loss, according to survey data released by the Ocular Nutrition Society here.
Seventy-eight percent of baby boomers rank vision as the most important sense, and 55% worry about vision loss compared with 60% for heart disease and 65% for cancer, according to the survey, whose respondents were between the ages of 45 and 65 years.
"The baby boomer generation is characterized by their desire for independence. As this generation ages, many will be affected by some type of eye concern which would impact their daily lives," Jeffrey Anshel, OD, FAAO, president of the Ocular Nutrition Society, said in a press release. "We wanted to gain an understanding of how active baby boomers are about maintaining their eyes as they age and what they knew about overall eye health."
Dr. Anshel said that people do not know simple steps to take care of their vision, including lifestyle modification, monitoring of dietary intake and vitamin supplementation, the release noted.
Other data points in the survey: Almost 60% of respondents were not aware of the role of omega-3 fatty acids; 66% were not aware of the role of lutein; and 89% were not aware of the role of zeaxanthin.
Only 18% of respondents reported taking vitamins to support eye health.
- Disclosure: The survey was supported by an educational grant from Bausch + Lomb.