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BECOME A VOLUNTEER VISION SCREENER!
Volunteers are needed to assist Prevent Blindness Indiana staff at vision screenings in Marion and surrounding counties, including at schools, health fairs and businesses. Volunteers will learn how to screen children and adults for potential vision impairments using protocols set by Prevent Blindness America. 
On Saturday, December 6th:
- Adult Screening Training - 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Children Screening Training - 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
You can attend both sessions, and your screening certification is valid for three years.
PBI asks that new volunteers commit to at least three screening events each year. You can be trained as an individual or group.
This training is located at the PBI office: 70 E. 91st St., Suite 204 - Indianapolis, IN 46240.
Certification is free but registration is required. To register, e-mail info@pbeye.org or call Phil Rainey, Prevent Blindness Indiana programs
manager, at (317) 815-9943, ext 230.
For more information on children and adult screenings, click here.
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HOOSIER HEALTH: EYE ON DIABETES
Prevent Blindness Indiana has declared November as Diabetic Eye Disease Month in an effort to educate the public on how diabetes can affect vision.
“Diabetes is a very serious problem in our country and more adults and children are diagnosed every year,” said Patricia E. Szuch, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness Indiana. “The disturbing fact is retinopathy can occur without any symptoms. Having a dilated eye exam is really the only way to recognize and minimize the damage.”
More than half of all diabetics suffer from some form of diabetic retinopathy, a condition caused when blood vessels in the retina are damaged. In Indiana, as many as 400,000 adults in Indiana have diabetes. Nationwide, more than 23 million Americans suffer from diabetes. That number is projected to more than double by 2050. The costs of diabetes are high – Americans spend $174 billion on direct and indirect medical costs, according to the American Diabetes Association.
In addition to diabetic retinopathy, diabetic patients are also at higher risks for:
- Cataracts - Clouding of the eye's lens, which blocks or changes the passage of light into the eye.
- Glaucoma - Increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
- Macular edema- a swelling of the retina, where blurred vision occurs in the middle or just to the side of the central visual field.
The Web site www.diabetes-sight.org provides information to patients and healthcare professionals on diabetic eye diseases, risk factors, treatment options and Medicare benefits, as well as a simulation on the effects of diabetic retinopathy on vision. Additional information available at www.preventblindness.org.
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SIGHT FOR LIFE: LOOK OUT LUNCHEON 2008
Thank you to everyone who made our second annual Sight for Life Luncheon a success! The event raised funds and awareness for our mission of Sight for Life for all Hoosiers.
As a reminder, Discount Tire has generously provided a $10,000 1:1 matching grant for individual gifts. If you would like to make your contribution go twice as far, you can donate online at www.pbeye.org or call our office at 317-815-9943.
Congratulations again to our award winners:
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Most Valued Volunteer - Justyn Hindersman
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Excellence in School Vision Screening - Center Grove School Corporation
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Excellence in School Nursing - Helen Day, Learning Well School Nurse IPS #27
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Excellence in Medical Care - Price Vision Group & Dr. Philip Gabriele
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Excellence in Partnership - Eye Care Community Outreach (ECCO)
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Best Practices in Vision Screening - Daviess County RSVP
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Best Practices in Corporate Vision Screening - Monarch Beverage
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Excellence in Program Development - Bill Powell, Bosma Enterprises
FOR ALL EVENT PHOTOS, GO TO BRENDA STAPLES PHOTOGRAPHY AND ENTER "PBI"
SAVE THE DATE: Sight for Life Luncheon 2009 - Friday, October 16th
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TRAINING & SCREENING SCHEDULE
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Our mission is to prevent blindness and preserve sight. We do this for Indiana residents through screening, follow-up treatment, education and public awareness.
Our vision for all Hoosiers is Sight for Life.
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