A Lifestyle Epidemic: Ocular Surface Disease
Global Taskforce To Address Vision-Compromising Challenges
BOSTON, Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), a world leader in eye health research and education, announced their next global Workshop, entitled "A Lifestyle Epidemic: Ocular Surface Disease."
The World Health Organization indicates that eye problems are increasingly linked to lifestyle choices.[1] Lifestyle diseases are primarily caused by the everyday habits of individuals, where behaviors can cause a number of health issues that can lead to chronic non-communicable diseases with a diminishing quality of life and near life-threatening consequences.[2]
"The world around us has changed unbelievably and our behaviors reflect that transformation. Today, for example, tens of millions of people are at home, managing excessive-screen-time due to virtual classrooms and teleworking, due to the COVID-19 school and office closures[3]," stated Amy Gallant Sullivan, Executive Director, TFOS. "The new TFOS Workshop will focus on how eye problems are increasingly linked to our lifestyle choices, what we do to ourselves, from technology use, to our beauty routines, to what we eat, to where we live. It is our mission as a world-renowned global scientific society to advance our understanding and educate people about how our choices impact our eyes, our vision and our quality of life."
Subcommittees of this TFOS Workshop and the subsequent Report will focus on digital eye strain, cosmetics, nutrition, self 'iatrogenesis,' environment, lifestyle challenges, contact lenses, societal challenges and public awareness.
"The study of ocular surface disease has evolved dramatically in the last years and TFOS has played an instrumental role in this transformation," explained Dr. Jennifer Craig, Associate Professor and Head of the Ocular Surface Laboratory at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. "TFOS workshops play a critical role in consolidating and translating published science and literature while inspiring future research by identifying the gaps and unmet needs."
"The implications for compromising one's vision and overall quality of life are tremendous, and youth today are also at risk," commented Dr. Monica Alves, Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Campinas, Brazil. "This could be far better managed with support from the scientific community and preventative measures."
ABOUT TFOS
Founded in 2000, the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society is a world leader in eye health education headquartered in Boston, USA. A 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, TFOS is dedicated to advancing the research, literacy, and educational aspects of the scientific field of the eye's surface. More information about TFOS and the Workshop is available at: www.tearfilm.org.
WORKSHOP TRAILER
Please view Workshop trailer at www.tearfilm.org .
1. World report on vision (2019) Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/world-report-on-vision
2. WHO (2017). Noncommunicable diseases. Fact Sheet. (Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/ on: 2/05/2017)
3. UNESCO's regular updates on COVID-19's impact on education https://en.unesco.org/news/137-billion-students-now-home-covid-19-school-closures-expand-ministers-scale-multimedia
SOURCE TFOS - Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society
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