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MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Landmark conference to tackle escalating economic
and social costs of blindness
TORONTO – January 13, 2004 – Canada is in the dark when it
comes to blindness and vision loss.
It’s estimated that well over $1 billion is spent annually on
blindness treatments and rehabilitation. The nation is experiencing an
unprecedented surge in age-related blindness with one in four
Canadians over 75 developing irreversible vision loss.
Meanwhile, researchers report that Canada has fallen behind other G8
nations in supporting blindness research and prevention programs.
And yet we absolutely cherish our vision — so much so that seven out
of ten of us would rather lose the use of our legs or hearing than our
sight, according to a new national survey conducted by the Environics
Research Group that reveals startling statistics about Canadians’
attitudes towards blindness.
Could funds be better spent to preserve the vision of Canadians? Could
improved access to treatment for age-related blindness prevent
hundreds of thousands of people from losing their eyesight and
becoming dependent on social assistance? Could health-care costs be
reduced through blindness prevention programs?
To answer these questions, The Canadian National Institute for the
Blind (CNIB), in partnership with Canada’s leading vision health
organizations, is hosting The Cost of Blindness – What it means to
Canadians, on January 31 and February 1, 2004, at Toronto’s Fairmont
Royal York Hotel. The two-day symposium will feature national and
international experts in the fields of blindness, low vision, and epidemiology who will unveil new findings in an effort to develop
strategies to lower the prevalence of age-related vision loss and
reduce medical costs. Such strategies will also aim to improve access
to vision care and remove social barriers, ensuring that Canadians who
are blind or visually impaired can become productive members of
society. Speakers include:
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Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), who will share her
personal experience with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
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David Foot (author of the bestseller, Boom, Bust & Echo), who
will address the “demographic bubble” and how looking after the aged
will affect Canada’s economy
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Jane Armstrong (Environics Research Group), who will reveal the
results of a new survey about Canadians’ attitudes toward blindness
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International blindness experts from Canada, the US, the UK, and
Australia
Interviews are available with key presenters on Friday, January
30, and at the conference on Saturday, January 31. Visit
www.costofblindness.org
to view the conference program, or visit the CNIB’s Web site at
www.cnib.ca.
Contact: Ellen Woodger, E Publicity (416) 483-2358
ellen.woodger@sympatico.ca
Sean McNeely, CNIB, (416) 480-7021
sean.mcneely@cnib.ca
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