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Americans Losing Sight of Eye Health

Introduction

The chosen article “Americans Losing Sight of Eye Health” has appeared in The

Forbes on October 17, 2008.

Synopsis

In this age of increasing materialistic attitudes most of us aren’t able to find time for

proper eating, spare alone a regular routine medical checkup. The article focuses on an

average American’s negligence towards the health of his/her eyes. The recent survey by

American Optometric Association (AOA) has revealed that Americans are more worried

about losing vision then they are worried for their memory, ability to walk or their hairs. But

still, revoltingly enough, 15% of people who are not using any corrective lens have never

been to an eye doctor in their whole life. Especially the younger generation and people under

55 years of age normally do not give a thought to visit an eye doctor, until and unless it is

inevitable. The author has also tried to highlight some of the major concerns of people like

their inability to live independently once they loses their eyesight and inability to drive or

read. The article has also presented some amazing facts about detection of diseases (Diabetes,

hypertension and even cancer, tumor and sclerosis to name a few) by means of an ordinary

visit to an eye doctor.

Philosophical Relevance with Ideas

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Philosophically the article under discussion has touched many issues and notions

which have become a second nature of our society. The most obvious of them are the

concepts of “physicalism” and “the pragmatic nature of knowledge”.

The article provides clear indications of increasing public inclination towards the

physicality of everything. The article provides an obscene but candid picture of the present

materialistic thought patterns of us and our society as a whole. The current trend of spending

every single minute of one’s life in this frenzied rat race for money and power is seriously

stretching the already thin social fabric, particularly in urban centers where the

disengagement and departure of the middle-class from cities has reduced the number of

individuals who care for others along with caring for their own self.

The other concept which is denied in the article is the pragmatic nature of knowledge.

The article claims that most of the people know that they have some kind of problem with

their eyesight but they continually keep on ignoring the problem until it starts hampering their

daily routine. The pragmatic nature of knowledge expects from an individual complete

adherence to the defined and tested procedures and a kind of pro-active approach towards the

problems even before their symptoms have started to show up. But the picture this article has

presented (and considering it is a research-based article not an opinion-based one) has

adamantingly negated this notion.

Personal Views about the Article

Personally, I strongly agree with the views of Dr. James Kirchner, that every

individual ought to have a complete eye checkup at least every two years and for people

using corrective lenses and other aids the need is even more. I’ve witnessed many incidents

where a person’s negligence or lethargy has cost him his eyes. One of my cousins who was

using contact lenses for two years has managed to lose one eye partially just because she
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underestimated her problems as a need for a different lens recommendation and didn’t visited

her ophthalmologist for two years. The same thing can happen to those 26% Americans who

also haven’t seen their opticians or oculists lately. Putting things on back burner and letting it

simmer until it is too late has become our national motto of late.

I strongly recommend all the readers to find this article in the back issues and read it

if they haven’t, and if they have then reread it once more.