Eye Didn't Know That! #TransitionsLens

Did you wear glasses as a kid?  I always had perfect vision in elementary school. I passed all the vision exams (administered by the school nurse) with flying colors year after year. When I transferred to a Catholic school, the nurse no longer tested our vision on a regular basis. Then one day when I was a sophomore in high school, I was waking up and realized that I couldn't read the calendar on the wall of my room with my left eye. In fact, I could hardly see anything with my left eye at all-it was a very scary surprise!  Even though I was already a teenager, I had a hard time explaining what I was experiencing to my parents. Finally they decided to take me to an eye doctor to get some answers and we discovered that I had astigmatism and serious vision loss in my left eye. My right eye was also losing some vision from having to compensate for the left one. I've worn glasses ever since. I'll never forget the first time I put on my glasses, it was like I was really seeing the world for the first time. I remember wondering, "How long has this been going on? And what have I been missing all this time?"
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Can't drive safely without my glasses!

When was the last time you had your child's vision checked? According to Transitions Optical, one in four children have an undiagnosed vision problem that can interfere with the ability to read and learn. And if you have a family history of diabetes, like I do, your kids' vision may be at even greater risk. I actually have diabetes on both sides of my family, but I never knew the link between diabetes and vision loss! Recent reports from Transitions Optical’s Healthy Sight Institute that showed diabetes as the number one cause of all recent agents of blindness in the United States among patients 24 to 74 years of age. The incidence of diabetes is higher among various groups in the United States, including Hispanic/Latino Americans. 

Transitions Optical has partnered with the American Diabetes Association to launch "Eye Didn't Know That" a terrific online resource to educate children, parents and teachers about eye health. There are all kinds of fun interactive games and quizzes to help us all learn about the importance of maintaining healthy vision.

Your kids can find fun quizzes like these on the Eye Didn't Know That site!

Along with their focus on educating kids about the importance of eye care, Transitions has also partnered with the American Diabetes Associations (ADA) to offer free vision screenings in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York this year. Visit them to find out of you are at risk for Diabetes related vision loss. Here are just some of the dates, but to learn more or to find a free vision screening near you, please visit www.EyeDidntKnowThat.info:

Chicago, IL

April 14, 2012

New York City, NY

November 3, 2012

So when was the last time you had your kid's eyesight checked? I hope you'll take some time to check out the Eye Didn't Know That website with your kids in English or Spanish!

For more information about the company and the Transitions family of adaptive eyewear, visit http://www.transitions.com

Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Transitions Optical. However, all opinions expressed are my own.