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Non-Profit Group Seeks to Educate Women on Ways to Protect Healthy Vision

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information:

Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate

Whitney Anderson

Phone:  (800) 301-2020 ext. 105

E-mail:  [email protected]

 
April is Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month at Prevent Blindness, Putting Focus on Special Visual Needs of Women
                                   – Non-Profit Group Seeks to Educate Women on Ways to Protect Healthy Vision –

Columbus, OH (April 3, 2018) – In addition to the many differences between men and women, more women than men have eye disease. Eye diseases include age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye.  Women also may have vision issues related to pregnancy and menopause.  According to the Prevent Blindness study, The Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems, currently 63 percent of those that are blind and 62 percent of those that are visually impaired are women.

Prevent Blindness has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month in an effort to educate women about these issues as well as provide recommendations on the best ways to take care of vision.

Women are at higher risk for Dry Eye Disease, a condition where the eyes do not produce enough tears or enough quality tears to keep the eyes lubricated.  Dry Eye is more prevalent in women in the menopausal and postmenopausal age group, due to the changes in balance of hormones.  Women who are pregnant, or on certain types of birth control, may experience dry eye.

Symptoms of dry eye include:

  • Feeling a burning or stinging in your eyes

  • Feeling like there are particles in your eyes

  • A gritty, sandy feeling in your eyes

  • Redness and inflammation of your eyes

  • Stringy mucus in your eyes

  • Extreme sensitivity, especially to cigarette smoke

Anyone experiencing these symptoms, or any other changes in vision, should consult an eyecare professional immediately. Vision loss can be significantly lessened when eye problems are detected and treated early.  Prevent Blindness offers a free listing of financial assistance services in English and Spanish at:  https://www.preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information.

For the third consecutive year, OCuSOFT ® Inc., a privately-held eye and skin care company dedicated to innovation in eyelid hygiene and ocular health, will support April’s Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month with a donation to Prevent Blindness.

“We want to remind women of every age that the key to healthy vision in the future is taking care of the eyes today,” said Sherry Williams,  President & CEO of the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness Affiliate. “Wearing the proper eye protection, quitting smoking, eating healthy foods, and talking to an eyecare professional about any vision changes or changes in medications, are just a few ways to help ensure a lifetime of healthy vision.”

For more information on women’s eye health, including fact sheets on eye diseases, and eye protection, please contact Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate at (800) 301-2020 or visit www.pbohio.org.

About Prevent Blindness

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. The Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness is Ohio’s leading volunteer nonprofit public health organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight. We serve all 88 Ohio counties, providing direct services to more than 800,000 Ohioans annually and educating millions of consumers about what they can do to protect and preserve their precious gift of sight. For more information or to make a contribution, call 800-301-2020.  Or, visit us on the web at www.pbohio.org or facebook.com/pbohio.