Prevent Blindness Texas Provides Free Resources for February’s Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month
— Nonprofit group, Prevent Blindness Texas, Provides Free Resources on AMD and Low Vision Including Dedicated Webpages, Fact Sheets, New Spanish-language Graphics, An Interactive Patient Guide, and More —
TX (Jan. 31, 2023) – As part of February’s Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month, Prevent Blindness Texas, is offering free resources to the public to help educate and empower individuals and their care partners, to make informed decisions about their vision and eye health.
AMD is an eye disease that is a leading cause of vision loss for Americans ages 50 and older. It affects central vision, where sharpest vision occurs, causing difficulty conducting daily tasks such as driving, reading, and recognizing faces. According to a new study leveraging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System, “The Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the United States In 2019,” more than 19 million Americans ages 40 and older were estimated to be living with AMD in 2019. Prevalence of AMD increases with age. Among persons ages 80 and older, approximately 3 in 10 have early AMD, and approximately 1 in 10 have the vision-threatening late form.
The Prevent Blindness and Prevent Blindness Texas “AMD Learning Center” at PreventBlindnessTexas.org/AMD, and the free GuideMe app, are designed for those who have been recently diagnosed with AMD. GuideMe works by asking a few questions about the user and the user’s AMD diagnosis. It then creates a customized guide with helpful information, tips, resources and suggested steps to take to be proactive about protecting vision. AMD fact sheets and shareable graphics in English and Spanish are also available for free download.
Geographic Atrophy (GA) is the advanced form of dry AMD. Prevent Blindness Texas offers resources in English and Spanish, including a downloadable fact sheet, a series of shareable social media graphics and a dedicated webpage. Prevent Blindness developed the content of these resources with funding provided by Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Prevent Blindness and Prevent Blindness Texas recently launched the redesigned resource, “Living Well With Low Vision.” The program provides accessible guides, such as the “Self-Help Guide to Non-Visual Skills” and “The ABC’s of Caring for the Visually Impaired” handbook. Additionally, the site has patient and care partner resource directories, and a new feature dedicated to vision loss and mental wellness. Visitors can also find information on the latest vision research, disease-specific news and clinical trials. This resource is supported by grants from Genentech and Horizon Therapeutics.
“As our population ages, the number of people who are affected by vision loss will continue to climb,” said Heather Patrick, President and CEO of Prevent Blindness Texas. “Thanks to our generous partners, we are able to provide the public with information they need to hopefully help slow the progression of AMD, as well as the resources for patients and care partners to face the many challenges that low vision can present.”
For more information on AMD, low vision, or general vision and eye health topics, contact Prevent Blindness Texas at www.preventblindnesstexas.org.
About Prevent Blindness Texas
Established in 1956 and incorporated in 1965, Prevent Blindness Texas is the state’s leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight. At Prevent Blindness Texas, our vision is vision – making healthy eyes a priority in Texas. We focus on improving the state’s vision and eye health by enhancing community capacity through our core competencies of early detection, patient support, systems enhancement, public policy, public awareness, and health education. Prevent Blindness Texas touches the lives of thousands of Texans through our sight-saving programs and services through our network of volunteers and offices located statewide. For more information, or to contribute to the sight-saving fund, call 1-888-98-SIGHT or, visit us on the Web at www.preventblindnesstexas.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.