Vision Care Institute Helping U.S. Olympic Hopefuls
Posted September 19th, 2007 at 6:00 AM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Olympics
As U.S. Olympic hopefuls prepare to compete in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, The Vision Care Institute(TM), LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company, is helping them make sure that two of their most vital body parts are ready for competition — their eyes. The Vision Care Institute, which recently announced the launch of its AchieveVision(TM) Program for Olympic athletes and hopefuls, today announced that it is donating to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) several pieces of vision care equipment to help athletes optimize their vision.
“There is a documented connection between optimized vision and overall performance, so it is important that our athletes maintain good eye health and determine vision correction needs regularly,” says Jeanne R. Derber, O.D., Director of Vision Clinic, United States Olympic Training Center. “Early detection and treatment of any vision and eye health issues will help ensure that our athletes truly keep their focus.”
About six out of ten (61 percent) U.S. Olympic athletes and hopefuls agree that it is “extremely important” that their vision be the best it can possibly be for them to be successful as an athlete according to a recent survey of nearly 600 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopeful athletes and alumni. More than half (52 percent) feel that if they could improve their current vision, it would provide them with a performance edge during competition, according to the survey, which was conducted by the USOC on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and other USOC corporate partners to better understand the health care, training, and treatment practices of athletes.
Yet, more than one-third (37 percent) say it has been two years or more since their last eye exam, and about one in five (20 percent) say it’s been three years or more since they’ve seen an eye care professional.
The survey results parallel findings from the Americans’ Attitudes & Perceptions About Vision Care survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of The Vision Care Institute. In that survey of more than 3,700 Americans, findings revealed a gap between vision care knowledge and behavior, with 14 percent of Americans noting that they do not have a regular eye care professional and one-quarter (25 percent) saying it has been more than two years since their last eye exam. Further, one-third (35 percent) of parents participating in that survey reported that their child has never seen an eye care professional.
“Americans visit their doctor annually and their dentist twice a year, but do not prioritize their eyes for themselves or their children,” says Dr. Richard Clompus, O.D., Director, The Vision Care Institute. “Seeing an eye care professional regularly may not only assess your vision and need for updated prescriptions, it may also help identify and lead to a diagnosis of other health concerns such as hypertension and diabetes.”
“Whether you are an Olympic athlete or a weekend warrior, you want optimum visual acuity to see a ball or land a jump perfectly,” adds Dr. Clompus. “With this donation, examiners will be better able to assess all necessary acuity tests and other measurements to help athletes achieve peak visual performance.”
For more information, please visit: www.tvciedu.com
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Tags: achievevision, achievevision program for olympic athletes and hopefuls, Americans Attitudes & Perceptions About Vision Care survey, beijing 2008, beijing 2008 olympic games, jeanne r. derber, johnson & johnson, Olympic hopefuls, Paralympic hopefuls, the vision care institute, u.s. olympic hopefuls, U.S. Olympic Team, United States Olympic Committee, USOC
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