Prevent Blindness Awareness Month

 Observe Prevent Blindness Awareness Month Each February

February is Prevent Blindness Awareness Month. AMD, or age-related macular degeneration, is a leading cause of vision loss for Americans age 50 and older. For example, it affects central vision, where sharpest vision occurs. This causes difficulty conducting daily tasks such as driving, reading, and recognizing faces.

Prevent Blindness Awareness Month is a time to educate people about age-related macular degeneration. AMD affects part of the back of the eye called the macula. This is the central part of the retina (the “film” lining the inside the eye). When AMD damages the macula, the center part of a person’s vision may become blurred or wavy. It may also cause a blind spot to develop. AMD can cause vision loss quickly or slowly. It can also can make it very hard to do things that require sharp vision. This includes things such as reading, sewing, cooking or driving. AMD can also make it difficult to see in dim light. The good news is that AMD almost never causes total blindness, since it usually does not hurt side (peripheral) vision.

AMD and Prevent Blindness Awareness Month

Prevent Blindness has declared February as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in people 50 years or older. More than 2.9 million Americans age 40 and older have low vision. Low vision is visual impairment not correctable through surgery, medicine, eye glasses or contact lenses.

AMD affects central vision, where sharpest vision occurs, causing difficulty conducting daily tasks such as driving, or reading. The most common form of AMD is “dry” AMD. Dry AMD is caused by the appearance of small yellow deposits called drusen. Drusen form under the retina. Dry AMD usually progresses slowly. “Wet” AMD generally causes more rapid and more serious vision loss. In this form of the disease, tiny new blood vessels grow under and into the retina. These blood vessels are fragile and often break and leak, causing a loss of vision. Geographic Atrophy (GA) is the advanced form of dry AMD. Geographic atrophy results in areas of damaged tissue causing central blind spots.

Low Vision

Prevent Blindness also offers the free GuideMe app, designed for those who have been diagnosed with AMD. GuideMe works by asking a few 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 to be proactive about protecting vision. The guide is compatible with a smart phone, tablet, laptop or PC.

For low vision, Prevent Blindness offers the no-cost “Living Well with Low Vision” online resource at lowvision.preventblindness.org. Tools include a self-help guide to non-visual skills, a visual skills workbook for people with AMD, and a guide to caring for the visually impaired.

Focus on Eye Health

The good news is that vision loss from AMD can be significantly slowed if the eye disease is diagnosed and treated early. The goal of Prevent Blindness is to raise awareness and provide useful resources to the public on AMD symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options. For those who have low vision, Prevent Blindness is committed to delivering the most useful and effective content to help patients and caregivers navigate the many challenges that vision loss presents.

To learn more about AMD, low vision and other eye diseases, please contact Prevent Blindness. For a directory of financial assistance programs, visit preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information.

(Image: Image by Freepik)