OcuSoft Donates to Prevent Blindness's Women's Wellness Program

OcuSoft Inc. will donate 10 percent of its gross monthly online sales to Prevent Blindness. The campaign runs for the month of April, PB's Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month.  The donation will go to support “See Jane See: Women’s Healthy Eyes Now,” a web-based educational campaign dedicated solely to women’s vision health that includes free information and downloadable tip sheets created specifically for women on a variety of issues across the age spectrum.  Information will also include symptoms, causes and treatment options for a variety of conditions. Read more.

Data from the Prevent Blindness study, “The Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems,” found that women make up the majority of the 4.4 million visually-impaired or blind Americans 40 and older. Put simply, women have different vision issues than men. For example, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration pose a greater risk for women than men. According to the National Eye Institute, twice as many women have dry eye than men.  Dry eye occurs after menopause. Women who experience menopause prematurely are more likely to have eye surface damage from dry eye. Finally, pregnancy can cause vision changes including refractive changes, dry eyes, and puffy eyelids.  Expectant mothers may also experience vision effects from migraine headaches, diabetes and high blood pressure. Glaucoma medications such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors can be harmful to the developing baby.  All pregnant women should discuss all medications and any changes in their vision immediately with their doctor. Read more.