Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Beginning of an Eye Opening Conversation

Did you know that every 11 minutes someone goes blind in the United States? More importantly, did you know that HALF of all blindness is preventable?

When I told my family and friends that I had would be working at Prevent Blindness Texas (PBT), they all said the same thing: “how can you prevent blindness; it’s just something that happens to you.” But they were wrong.

HALF of all blindness is PREVENTABLE! And the best way to prevent blindness is to educate people about healthy eye vision. That’s where we come in.

PBT saves the sight of thousands of Texans from all walks of life each year. PBT certified vision screenings help preschoolers at risk of vision loss, preteens and teens who depend on good vision for learning, and adults threatened by glaucoma, cataracts and other serious vision problems. PBT provides eye health information to more than 100,000 Texans each year and provides those who qualify with free eye exams and glasses. PBT educates, trains, screens and advocates in order to save the sight and improve the visual quality of life for Texans.

Vision problems and eye disease are a prevalent problem throughout the country. In Texas alone, out of a population of 10,329,708 people over the age of 40 years old, 6,033,583 people have a vision problem. That’s 58 percent!

So why aren’t we talking about our sight? Why aren’t we educating ourselves about healthy vision? Why aren’t we going to the doctor for regular eye exams?

This blog will give us a way to start a conversation about healthy vision, ways to educate more people around Texas, and how you can get involved to help save sight. It will also give you an inside look at PBT, including interviews with its staff, its board members, and updates on our events.

We’re interested in your thoughts and ideas, so leave us a comment below! Let us know what you think about PBT’s efforts, the statistics mentioned in this post, leave us suggestions for future topics, or ask any questions you may have.

“Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter as another way to leave comments and ask us questions.  You may also contact us at one of our offices, which are located across Texas in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth.

References:
http://www.preventblindnesstexas.org/
http://www.visionproblemsus.org/

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