JUNE | 2023

NEWS

Cataract is a Leading Cause of Blindness Worldwide

June is Cataract Awareness Month

More than half of all Americans will have cataract by the time they are 80 years old. Prevent Blindness provides patients, care partners and professionals with information on topics related to types of cataract, risk factors, symptoms, cataract surgery and available financial assistance resources at preventblindness.org/cataract.

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This free event attracts a global audience of patient advocates, community-based organizations, vision and eye health organizations, researchers, health-care providers, educators, early childhood education professionals, senior- and child-care professionals, government agency staff, corporate partners, health program professionals, and legislative staff. This year's summit reminds us why the eye should be an important focus for us all.

Raising Awareness on the Impact of Vision Impairment on Mental Health

Because individuals with vision loss can experience a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues as compared to their sighted peers, Prevent Blindness has engaged experts from around the country to raise awareness, provide education and offer newly developed resources for patients, care partners and healthcare service professionals.

The second day of the upcoming 2023 Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Summit, July 13, will be dedicated to presentations and forums addressing mental health and vision. Keynote speaker Julian Eaton, BSc, MSc, MBBS, MRCPsych, Mental Health Director, CBM Global, Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will kick off the day with his presentation, “Innovative Mental Health Approaches,” followed by discussions on “The Public Health Connection Between Mental Wellness and Vision” and “Policy Opportunities and Obstacles Around Vision and Mental Wellness.” Registration for the summit is now available and free to all attendees.

Mental Health Task Force

Prevent Blindness recently convened an all-volunteer Mental Health Task Force, consisting of professionals from a variety of fields, including ophthalmology, optometry, social work and clinical psychology, as well as patients experiencing vision loss. The group created the Vision Loss and Mental Health: Key Takeaways from an Interprofessional Task Force issue brief.

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Seeing Eye to Eye Celebrating Eye Health is a partnership with Blackdoctor.org, Prevent Blindness, National Eye Institute, and the Children's Vision Equity Alliance.

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