Jan. 6, 2023 — Prevent Blindness has declared January as National Glaucoma Awareness Month, as about 3 million Americans have glaucoma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To assist eyecare professionals with discussing glaucoma with their patients, Prevent Blindness offers a variety of free resources in multiple languages, including the new “Glaucoma Financial Assistance Information” fact sheet and The Glaucoma Community (TGC).
Supported by Responsum Health, TGC was launched in 2020 and has since reached more than 853,000 individuals seeking information about the condition. Currently hosting nearly 3,000 active members, TGC provides users with free, community-oriented features, including easy-to-read summaries of glaucoma news and a dedicated Facebook page. Prevent Blindness shares that all content within The Glaucoma Community is reviewed by an expert advisory council.
A new episode of Prevent Blindness’ Focus on eye Health Expert Series, “Understanding Glaucoma,” features Constance Okeke, M.D., MSCE, a glaucoma specialist at Virginia Eye Consultants and assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. In a conversation with Prevent Blindness president and CEO Jeff Todd, Dr. Okeke explains the importance of educational resources and shares her experience as a volunteer on TGC’s expert advisory council.
For people living with glaucoma and their care partners, Prevent Blindness’ Living Well with Low Vision online resource offers a variety of free directories, a library of self-help guides, downloadable apps, and relevant news for those with glaucoma and significant visual impairment.
“Prevent Blindness offers a wide variety of expert-approved materials and tools, free to the public, to help save sight from glaucoma,” says Todd. “We invite patients, caregivers, and professionals to use these and join The Glaucoma Community today to get the support and access to trusted resources needed to help save sight.”
For more information: preventblindness.org.
