Prevent Blindness Florida wants you to know that 50% of blindness can be avoided. Please watch our public service announcement.
Sports Eye Safety
Tampa, Florida (Aug 30, 2010) – According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in school-aged children. And, most of those injuries are sports-related. In fact, every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United
States treats a sports-related eye injury, many of them children.
Eye injuries can include painful corneal abrasions, blunt trauma and penetrating injuries,
inflamed iris, fracture of the eye socket, swollen or detached retinas, traumatic cataract
and blood spilling into the eye's anterior chamber. Injuries can range from temporary to
permanent vision loss. read more
Eye Safety Factsheet - Eye Safety Recommendations
Eye Protector Tips
Liberty Sports Eye Safety Brochure here
Back to School Test (Eye exam!)
Tampa, Florida (July 28, 2010) – The start of the school year is right around the corner for most kids. To give their children a head start to a successful school year, parents need to educate themselves on the importance of healthy eyesight in relation to classroom performance. read more
Children Eye Health and Safety Factsheet here - Children Eye Overview from starpupils here
Save the Planet and Your Eyes!
August is Cataract Awareness Month
Tampa, FL (July 30, 2010)– Going green is not just a good idea to protect the environment; it can also help to save sight. The ozone layer is currently compromised, which allows more damaging UV rays to reach the earth’s surface. And prolonged exposure to UV rays is believed to lead to the development of cataracts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the Atmospheric and Health Effects Framework (AHEF) to assess health benefits associated with reducing ozone layer depletion. Read more here
Facts and Myths About Cataracts here - Cataract Factsheet here
VSP Does it Again!
VSP Mobile Eyes van helps again in Pinellas County offering eye exams and glasses to over 50 needy citizens!
Prevent Blindness at Blanton Elementary School (Pinellas County)
Prevent Blindness Florida visits Blanton Elementary school in Pinellas Park Florida.
We were able to screen and provide eyeware to over 60 students!
Thanks to the 2010 Light the Night Sponsors:
Click here for pictures from event.
Bess the Book Bus – Transitions and Optical Partners
We love to report good deeds from our Optical Industry friends and sponsors. We are very interested in Bess the Book Bus. Transitions Optical, Inc. and several industry partners teamed up with Tampa native Jennifer Frances and her mobile literacy program, “Bess the Book Bus,” to provide free eye screenings to nearly 350 students at West Shore Elementary in Tampa, Fla. the week of Sept. 21-25. Representatives from Transitions and Prevent Blindness Florida conducted the initial screenings. Read full story here.
Driver Licenses Check-off
Please remember when you renew your drivers license to check off a dollar donation to help prevent blindness!
We are very proud to receive a coveted 4 star rating for sound fiscal management from America's premier charity evaluator. Read more.
Read Brody's Story - How Prevent Blindness helped Brody
Read Brody's Story: “We took Brody to the specialist; I was stunned by the diagnosis. Brody was diagnosed
with amblyopia in one eye and the potential for amblyopia in the other. I was scared that
my little boy might go blind.”
“We have seen such a difference in Brody. The way he looks at things, his alphabet skills.
It’s like a whole new son. Thank you Prevent Blindness Florida!”
read more: How early detection helped Brody. Watch his story on Youtube here. Or download an Ipod format for your PC or MP3 player here.
Florida House of Representatives Adopts Sports Eye Safety Resolution
Prevent Blindness America and Prevent Blindness Florida are pleased to announce that the Florida House of Representatives adopted HR 9095, a resolution recognizing the seriousness of sports-related eye injuries in children and the importance of sports eye safety to protect the children of Florida. (click here for story and copy of the resolution)
Share your opinion with others: join the vision health blog here.
Your Donation to Prevent Blindness Florida…
Helps Children…
We help children receive important eye health and safety
education and vision screening. Our children’s vision screening program supports the work of optometrists and ophthalmologists.
In an effort to educate young children about the importance of eye
safety, we provide an eye safety curriculum.
Helps Adults…
To identify people at-risk for eye disease, we provide freevision screenings. In partnership with Florida Department of Health, we provide monthly screenings at select county health department clinics and assist families with vision care.
We also provide Healthy Eye Seminars by partnering with Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Through our educational efforts, we are able to increase awareness about age-related eye diseases and the importance of receiving professional eye exams regularly.
Provides Assistance…
Your donation assists to provide free vision screenings, exams, eye glasses or treatment for blinding eye diseases. Adults
and children qualified through our screening program are offered a consultation to assist them. We
partner with several organizations and businesses such as LensCrafters, For Eyes, Optimart and EyeCare America.
In addition, we provide our Vision Resource Guide which includes additional resources, both local and national, for vision care to those in need.
Finding the Correct Eye Protection