FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information:
Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate
Dori Jennings
(614) 270-0746
[email protected]
October 13 is World Sight Day, Raising Awareness of the Importance of Eye Health
Columbus, OH (October 12, 2022) – October 13, 2022 is World Sight Day and is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on the importance of eye health and the impact of vision impairment, including blindness, advanced by the International Agency to Prevent Blindness and its many kindred member organizations across the world, including the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness. We want to see a country and world where eye health is accessible, available, and affordable for everyone.
With the generous support of Horizon Therapeutics, the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness is participating by providing free vision screenings Thursday, October 13, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Ohio Statehouse in the Governor Thomas Worthington Center.
Coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), the World Sight Day theme is “Love Your Eyes.” Prevent Blindness invites everyone to take three sight-saving steps for themselves, for others and for their communities:
- For Yourself- Schedule an eye exam today
- For Others- Donate to Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate to help fund sight-saving services
- For Your Community- Ask your Member of Congress to support vision and eye health policies by becoming a part of the Congressional Vision Caucus
Half of all blindness is preventable, but the number of Ohioans who suffer vision loss continues to increase. Because of the growth in the aging population, in 2020 there were 1,729,883 Ohioans affected by vision-robbing conditions. The primary causes are diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Vision disability is one of the top 10 disabilities among adults 18 years and older, one of the most prevalent disabling conditions among children, and causes a substantial social and economic toll for millions of people including significant suffering, disability, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life.
The estimated financial burden to the Ohio economy due to vision problems, refractive errors, visual impairment, and blindness for all age groups is $6.1 billion annually. Direct costs of approximately $2.9 billion include diagnosed disorders, medical vision aids, undiagnosed vision loss, aids/devices, education/school screening and assistance programs. Indirect costs of approximately $3.2 billion include productivity loss, informal care, long-term care, entitlement programs, tax deduction, and transfer deadweight loss (loss of economic efficiency when the optimal level of supply and demand are not achieved).
Eye health should be viewed principally as a human development issue, as it is a highly cost-effective means of unlocking human potential. It enables children to succeed in school, working age adults to get and keep a job, and achieving many of the world’s and our country’s Sustainable Development Goals, including reducing poverty and increasing work productivity, health, education, and equity.
“World Sight Day offers an incredible opportunity to continue to educate the public about the importance of good vision, the need for equitable access to eye care, and the benefits of continued vision research,” said Amy Pulles, President & CEO of the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness. “We also thank our generous partners for their commitment and support of our programs which make a difference in the vision health of Americans every day.”
About Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate
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 serves all 88 Ohio counties, providing direct services to 1,000,000 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 contribute, call 800-301-2020 or donate here. Visit us at pbohio.org. Follow us: facebook.com/pbohio.
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