Prevent Blindness offers free dry eye resources including fact
sheets, social media graphics, webpage, expert interviews and new
materials on how to take eye drops effectively.
CHICAGO, June 27,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Prevent Blindness, the
nation's leading nonprofit eye health organization, is joining in
support of July as Dry Eye Awareness Month to help educate the
public and healthcare professionals on the eye disease that affects
nearly 16 million Americans, according to the National Eye
Institute. Dry eye occurs when there is not enough tear film
produced, the tear film is not draining properly from the eye, or
the tear film is not the quality needed to maintain the health of
the eye and clear vision.
"Visit an eye care professional to find out
if you have dry eye, and if so, work together to create an
effective treatment plan to minimize the effects." - Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent
Blindness.
Prevent Blindness offers a variety of free resources, including
fact sheets and shareable social media graphics available in
English and Spanish, and a dedicated web page at
preventblindness.org/understanding-dry-eye. For the fourth
consecutive year, OCuSOFT ® Inc., a privately held eye and skin
care company dedicated to innovation in eyelid hygiene and ocular
health, is partnering with Prevent Blindness in support of Dry Eye
Awareness Month.
Types of dry eye include "evaporative dry eye" which occurs when
there is an inadequate amount of oil in tears, and "meibomian gland
dysfunction (MGD)," a condition where the eyelid glands do not
produce enough oil or it is of poor quality. MGD is the most common
cause of evaporative dry eye.
Symptoms of dry eye may include:
- Fluctuating blurry vision
- Burning or stinging
- Particles in the eye
- Gritty, sandy feeling
- Itchiness
- Redness and inflammation
- Stringy mucus
- Extreme sensitivity, especially to
cigarette smoke
- Increased sensitivity to light
Once a diagnosis of dry eye has been made, an eyecare
professional may recommend the use of eye drops. Prevent Blindness
has created new materials on the proper way to take eye drops,
including a printable one-sheet, a new informative video, "How to
Use Eye Drops," featuring Dr. Yara
Catoira-Boyle, Visionary Eye Specialists, and a dedicated
webpage at preventblindness.org/taking-eye-drop-medications.
Prevent Blindness also offers two Focus on Eye Health Expert
Series episodes including, "Dry Eye and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
(MGD)," featuring April Jasper, OD,
FAAO, Advanced Eyecare Specialists. And, "Dry Eye," with
Stephanie Jones Marioneaux, MD.
"Dry eye can be caused by a variety of factors and if left
untreated may cause damage to the cornea," said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent
Blindness. "Visit an eye care professional to find out if you have
dry eye, and if so, work together as a team to create an effective
treatment plan to minimize the effects."
For more information on dry eye, please visit the Prevent
Blindness resource page at
PreventBlindness.org/understanding-dry-eye.
About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading
volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting
blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of
vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of
people each year through public and professional education,
advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and
patient service programs and research. These services are made
possible through the generous support of the American public.
Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is
committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more
information, visit us at PreventBlindness.org, and follow us on
Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Media Contact
Sarah Hecker, Prevent Blindness,
312.363.6035, shecker@preventblindness.org ,
PreventBlindness.org
Twitter
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SOURCE Prevent Blindness