Gift of Sight Month is observed annually in December, and it encourages everyone to take their eye health very seriously. This is a month to get your eyes checked by a healthcare professional and for people to start taking better care of their eyesight.

According to the World Health Organization, over 280 million people in the world are visually impaired, and another almost 40 million people are completely blind. Although some of these cases can’t be helped, many people could have had their vision saved if they had received the right treatment beforehand.

During this month, everyone should take their eye health into their own hands and get their health in order before it causes vision loss.

The History of Gift of Sight Month

This holiday month was created by Versant Health after a vision wellness study found that just over half of all people regularly saw an eye doctor. This same study also stated that the people who didn’t visit the eye doctor were the ones most likely to say that they couldn’t afford to do so.

This month was established to not only raise awareness about the importance of regular eye exams but also to ensure that people receive eye exams — even if they can’t afford them.

Facts About Eyes & Eye Health

Below are some interesting facts about eyes and eye health that we think people should know about. We believe the following factoids will illustrate how wondrous and amazing our eyes are and why we should do everything in our power to protect them.

• The only organ more complex than the eye is the human brain.
• A person’s iris has over six times more unique characteristics than a person’s fingerprint.
• The human optic nerve comprises over one million nerve cells.
• It’s impossible for a person to keep their eyes open while they are sneezing.
• The average human eye can distinguish between 10 million different colors.
• People fear vision loss more than they fear cancer, heart disease, or any other type of disease.
• Because glaucoma occurs so gradually, significant vision loss can happen before a person realizes it.
• Approximately 33% of all Americans will develop a vision-reducing eye disease by the time they are 65.

Observing Gift of Sight Month

Gift of Sight Month can be observed by encouraging people to get their eye exams. This can be done in person or through social media using the hashtag #GiftOfSightMonth. It’s also a time when people should make sure that they stay on top of their own eye health. This means getting regular eye exams and controlling underlying health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes.