Americans with Cataracts to Increase More Than 80% by 2050

The number of Americans with cataracts will increase to 38.5 million in the next 16 years and jump to 45.6 million by 2050, representing a jump of more than 80%, according to the Prevent Blindness “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems. The World Health Organization reports that cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world. Read more. 

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.

Drive to Improve Vision Care for Children

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH), and the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) are calling on health professionals, eye care professionals, and others to apply for a vision-health collaborative,  named “Improving Children’s Vision: Systems, Stakeholders & Support.”

Its mission: Increase by 20 percent over 2011-2012 levels (according to the National Survey of Children’s Health measure) the proportion of children five and younger who receive vision screenings in five selected states by 2018. At that time, NCCVEH should have a comprehensive approach that reduces vision problems of children in hard-to-reach areas.

All teams interested in participating must submit applications via an online portal by April 25, 2016 at 5 p.m. ET. Applications will be selected and parties notified by May 23, 2016.

New Online Program to Support In-School Vision Care Programs

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has partnered with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to create a new online resource to support school nurses in the implementation of stronger vision health programs for the students they serve. More than 12.1 million school-age children, or one in four, have some form of a vision problem which includes refractive errors such as near- and farsightedness, astigmatism, and strabismus. Significant vision problems can begin well before a child reaches school-age. Vision impairments are common conditions, affecting 5 to 10 percent of all preschool-aged children. According to the National Eye Institute, two to five percent of children ages three to five have amblyopia, three to four percent have strabismus, and 10-15 percent have significant refractive error. Read more.

Michael Block Will Receive Prevent Blindness Award

Prevent Blindness has chosen Michael Block of Block Business Group as the recipient of the 2016 Prevent Blindness Person of Vision Award. It will present the award on April 14 at the Prevent Blindness Person of Vision Dinner at the Lotte New York Palace, New York City, in conjunction with Vision Expo East. The organization is recognizing Block for his inspired outlook that champions healthy vision. He has served as the co-chair of the Prevent Blindness Swing Fore Sight committee for the past two years.

Block began his career as an independent licensed optician about 44 years ago, and little more than a decade later, he started Block Buying Group. In 1991, he founded Block Vision. Today, Block is president of Block Business Group, a purchasing group and practice management organization for independent eyecare professionals in Boca Raton, FL.

New App for Patients with AMD

Prevent Blindness has launched a new resource, “GuideMe,” designed for those who have been diagnosed with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The intent of GuideMe is to simulate as accurately as possible a post-diagnosis consultation with a doctor or therapist. It is not, however, designed as a substitute for the advice and directions of an eye doctor. GuideMe  asks questions about the user and the user’s AMD diagnosis. It then uses the answers to create a customized guide with helpful information, tips, resources and suggested steps to take. It's compatible with a smart phone, tablet, laptop or PC.  The customized Guide can be viewed online or downloaded and printed.  If there are diagnosis changes and updates, users can return at any time and change their answers to create a new customized Guide. Additional resources may also be found at “AMD Learning Center,” found at preventblindness.org/amd.  The site provides a variety of educational tools including AMD risk factors, treatment options, an Adult Vision Risk Assessment tool and downloadable fact sheets.

Laura Bush to Receive Prevent Blindness' Highest Honor

Laura Bush will  receive the 2015 Prevent Blindness Person of Vision Award. The honor will be bestowed to the former First Lady at the Prevent Blindness Person of Vision Dinner on Nov. 5 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Bush has championed children’s literacy. She also advocated for a child's need for healthy eyesight to successfully compete in school and life. Read more.

HealthE Sponsors Prevent Blindness Chilodren's Program

Healthe will donate a portion of the sales of its EyeSafe products, including protective covers for digital phones, tablets and computer monitors that reduce exposure to harmful digital UV and High-Energy Visible (HEV) blue light emitted from such devices, to Prevent Blindness in support of its children’s eye health programs and resources. Read more.

Basketball the Leading Cause of Sports-Related Eye Injury

More than 6,000 Americans suffered an eye injury related to playing basketball in one year, according to estimates by Prevent Blindness. In fact, the top five sports with the most eye injuries were basketball, water and pool activities, use of guns (air, gas, spring, and BB), baseball/softball and football. Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United States treats a sports-related eye injury, according to the National Eye Institute. These injuries include infection, corneal abrasions, blunt trauma, inflamed iris, fracture of the eye socket, swollen or detached retinas, or a traumatic cataract. Prevent Blindness has declared September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month to encourage wearing proper eye protection while playing sports. Read about what you can do to reduce sports-related eye injuries.

Prevent Blindness Offers Assistance to Parents and Educators Regarding Healthy Eyesight for Children

Healthy eyesight can help improve a child’s chance at success in the classroom, so Prevent Blindness is asking parents to make an appointment for an eye exam for their children. In line, the association declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month. The non-profit group has a variety of resources to help put children on the path to a lifetime of healthy vision:

• PreventBlindness.org includes free information on a variety of children’s eye health topics including amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), UV-protection and sports safety.
• Through its National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH), PB offers the online School Requirements for Children's Visionmap that provides information about state legislation for vision screening and/or mandated eye exams
• The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandates that all health insurance include a pediatric vision benefit. In most states, that includes one comprehensive eye exam and one pair of eyeglasses. For more information, Prevent Blindness offers the fact sheet in English or Spanish, “The Affordable Care Act and Your Child's Eyes.”
• Prevent Blindness partners with programs such as VSP’s “Sight for Students,” “OneSight” from Luxottica, and “Let’s Go See” from Visionworks and Davis Vision, that provide free eye exams and glasses to children who qualify.
• For educators, Prevent Blindness offers the Star Pupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum for grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. The program, which is available free for download upon request, provides teachers with interactive materials that help students learn the importance of sight, components of the eye and how we see, and how to identify objects and situations that can be dangerous to eyes. The program meets National Health, National Science and National Physical Education standards and includes lesson plans with presentation PowerPoints and teacher guides, in-class activities and take-home worksheets.

For more information on children’s eye health and safety, the NCCVEH, eye care assistance programs, or the Star Pupils Eye Health and Safety Curriculum, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020.

Cataract Explosion on the Horizon, Says Study, as June Declared Cataract Awareness Month

 In just 17 years, the number of American with cataracts will exploded 50 percent to 38.5 million by 2032 and by 78 percent to 45.6 million by the year 2050. That's thte conclusion of Prevent Blindness “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems." Currently 25.7 million Americans older than 40 have cataracts. It also found most current cataract patients are women and that trend will continue. Whites will continue to make up a majority of cataract patients, but this population will level off and slightly decrease by the 2040’s. Hispanics will exhibit the fastest rate of growth in cataract cases.

Prevent Blindness has declared June as Cataract Awareness Month to educate the public on cataract, risk factors, symptoms and treatment options, including surgery. Free information is provided through its dedicated web page at preventblindness.org/cataract, or via phone at (800) 331-2020.

Women Vulnerable to Eye Disease; Prevent Blindness Fights Back

Women make up the majority of the 4.4 million Americans age 40 and older who are visually impaired or blind,according to the recent Prevent Blindness (PB) study. More women than men have age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, and these numbers will increase, according to the study, called The Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems.

Even though early treatment can lessen the effects of these diseases, an MD or OD had not examined in the past two years one in four women's eyes, according to an online PB survey. Cost was cited as the number one reason for both those who did and did not have vision insurance. Other reasons cited were transportation issues and simply being “too busy” to make an appointment.

PB called the survey's results alarming, especially in light of the PB survey conducted in 2014 conducted by Harris. It found the following:

• Less than 10 percent of American women realize that women are at a greater risk of suffering permanent vision loss than men.
• 86 percent incorrectly believe that men and women are at equal risk.
• Five percent believe that men are at greater risk.

Prevent Blindness has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month. The group also created See Jane See: Women’s Healthy Eyes Now to provide free education and resources on everything from eye disease to cosmetic safety to vision changes during pregnancy. Experts also write about the importance of eye exams and the effects of smoking on women.

Prevent Blindness Teams Up with National Black Church Initiative

Prevent Blindness and the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), composed of 34,000 churches across 15 denominations, are joining forces to improve the vision and eye health of the coalition’s 15.7 million African American churchgoers. African Americans have among the highest risks for developing eye health issues, suffering disproportionately from conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy when compared to other ethnicities. According to a recent national public opinion poll, when asked which disease or ailment is the worst that could happen to them, blindness ranked first among African Americans.

The 2014 Prevent Blindness “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems” report projected that by 2050 most glaucoma patients will be non-white. At that time, blacks and Hispanics will each constitute about 20 percent of all glaucoma patients. According to the National Eye Institute, blindness from glaucoma is six times as common in blacks as in whites. Further, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African American adults are twice as likely as non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and its related complications including diabetic eye disease. Read more.

To address these skyrocketing numbers, the groups joined forces and created the “Community InSight” program, designed to educate and equip designated Health Navigators within each of the NBCI congregations to serve as peer-to-peer eye health educators in order to:

1) Increase awareness of eye health among NBCI member church congregations and parishioners, with an emphasis on diabetic eye disease and glaucoma, and

2) Increase the number of annual dilated eye exams for parishioners living with diabetes or who are at high risk for glaucoma

March Declared Workplace Eye Wellness Month

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, and Prevent Blindness will provide employers and employees with free information on topics ranging from eye strain to industrial eye safety. Prevent Blindness suggests the following to reduce eyestrain and fatigue:

• Have a dilated eye exam.
• Place screens 20 to 26 inches from eyes and a little bit below eye level.
• Use a document holder close enough so eye focus does not change.
• Adjust the screen's text size.
• Reduce glare reflections. Use a glare filter. Dusting screens reduces glare.
• Use an adjustable chair.
• Choose screens that can tilt and swivel. A keyboard that you can adjust is also helpful.
• Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break. Look 20 feet away.

Prevent Blindness also offers a Work Safety module as part of its free program, the Healthy Eyes Educational Series. Each module includes a presentation guide and corresponding PowerPoint presentation on a relevant eye health topics. Fact sheets can be downloaded at any time from the Prevent Blindness website for use as handouts. To find out more about the Healthy Eyes Educational Series or other workplace eye health topics, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020 or find out more about taking care of your sight here.

Prevent Blindness Launches Low-Vision Aid Purchasing Program Online

Visitors to Living Well with Low Vision, lowvision.preventblindness.org, can purchase low-vision aids and products through Enablemart.com. The company will donate 5% of every purchase made through lowvision.preventblindness.org to Prevent Blindness. Prevent Blindness launched Living Well with Low Vision to address the needs of individuals with low vision and their caregivers. The website was specifically developed from the point of view of individuals facing the challenges of vision loss. Read more.

Study to Look a Reduction of Visual Impairment

Prevent Blindness and the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness will co-sponsor, along with other organizations, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) study entitled “Public Health Approaches to Reduce Vision Impairment and Promote Eye Health.” According to the IOM, a committee of experts across multiple disciplines will produce a consensus study to examine the core principles and public health strategies to reduce visual impairment and promote eye health in the United States. The final report is anticipated to be released in 2016. Read more.

Prevent Blindness Holding Free Webinar about Children's Vision Health

On Jan. 23, a free children's vision webinar from Prevent Blindness will provide an overview of the following papers published by the National Expert Panel (NEP) of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness in the January 2015 issue of Optometry and Vision Science:

• Vision Screening for Children 36 to <72 Months: Recommended Practices
• Vision and Eye Health in Children 36 to <72 Months: Proposed Data System
• Vision and Eye Health in Children 36 to <72 Months: Proposed Data Definitions

To register for the webinar or for more information on the NCCVEH or children’s vision topics, please visit https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=6odi6pcdprmd, or call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020. 

Cost of Vision Problems Rising Quickly

In a new report called "The Future of Vision, Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems," Prevent Blindness reports that "we find that the prevalence and costs of vision problems are set to grow at an alarming rate, fueled by demographic shifts including the aging of the baby-boomer population, extraordinary increases in the population in the oldest age groups, and the growth of minority populations. By 2050 we project that the prevalence of vision loss will grow by 135%, from 4.4 million to more than 10 million people. The total prevalence of cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and advanced age related macular degeneration is expected to increase by 77% to nearly 70 million adults by 2050. This spectacular growth in the prevalence of vision problems will be evident in their resulting costs, with the total real costs of vision problems expected to increase by 157%, from $145 billion in 2014 to $373 billion by 2050, with total nominal expenditures in 2050 exceeding $700 billion." Read more and see charts.

PBA Changes Name to Prevent Blindness

Prevent Blindness America has changed its operating name to Prevent Blindness. The group is using the new name as a launching pad to refocus efforts around a number of key areas including awareness of diabetic eye disease with the growing diabetes epidemic, women's eye health, children's vision, improving the quality of life for those living with low vision, and an increased role in public health research related to vision. Read more.