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Prevent Blindness Nebraska is a statewide affiliate of Chicago-based Prevent Blindness America which was founded in 1908 and is the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year.
The Nebraska affiliate serves 93 counties in the state, working since 1970 to save the sights Nebraskans lose when they lose their vision…the sunsets, the clouds, the faces of loved ones. Half of all blindness and vision loss is preventable- but only through education, screening and advocacy.
Our mission: To preserve sight and prevent blindness
Our vision is vision.
Friday, August 22, 2008.
Download a registration form
Prevent Blindness Nebraska teams up with the Omaha Marathon in a special race to bring greater awareness to visual impairment. One or more blind or visually impaired individuals will be pushed in a special chair on the marathon route during the race. Runners who sign up to push will make a donation to Prevent Blindness Nebraska.
Find out more HERE
Elaine Jabenis and Carol Russell are pictured with Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska during Eyes on Capital Hill 2008.
SPECIAL THANKS!
gen·er·os·i·ty [jen-uh-ros-i-tee] –noun, plural -ties.
1. readiness or liberality in giving.
2. freedom from meanness or smallness of mind or character.
3. a generous act:
4. largeness or fullness; amplitude
Special thanks to the eBay Foundation for fulfilling our Technology Assistance Program grant request. With their help, Prevent Blindness Nebraska now has a new laptop computer and laser printer!
Special thanks to Office Depot #82 for their generous donations through the Gifts In Kind program!
Special thanks to the GoodFellow’s Program for their generous support of Prevent Blindness Nebraska’s Operation Eyeglasses program to be held in the fall of 2008
Special thanks to Woodmen of the World Lodge #16 for choosing Prevent Blindness Nebraska as their charity of choice for their recent Las Vegas Night event. Over $2000 was raised and nearly 75 pairs of eyeglasses donated through their activities!
Special thanks to the Island Area Cruisers for choosing Prevent Blindness Nebraska as their charity of choice for their 13th annual fundraising project scheduled for May 17 in Grand Island, Nebraska.
Vision problems affect one in 20 preschoolers and one in four school-aged children. Source: Prevent Blindness America, 1995
Almost 80% of preschool-age children never get an eye exam. Source: Prevent Blindness America, 1995
Nearly 30% of children in special education classes have vision problems. Source: Eye Care Council, Inc., See to Learn Program, 1999
More than 70% of juvenile delinquents have vision problems. Source: Eye Care Council, Inc., See to Learn Program, 1999
25% of junior high school-aged children (11-14 years) can’t read the blackboard because of myopia (nearsightedness). Source: Helen Keller International, 1999
One of every six children is two or more grade levels behind in reading. Of these "slow" readers, 80% have difficulty in eye control and coordination. Source: Vision Reference Guide, Saratoga Vision Center, 1999
GENERAL FACTS TO CONSIDER:
• 3.3 million Americans age 40 and older are blind or have low vision, and this number is expected to increase to 5.5 million by 2020 as the population ages.
• According to the NEI, glaucoma is almost three times as common in African-Americans as in Caucasians. Hispanics age 65 and older are also at increased risk of glaucoma.
• Glaucoma that is undiagnosed or poorly controlled can lead to damage of the optic nerve, visual field loss, and ultimately sight loss. People with glaucoma usually lose peripheral vision first. Over time, glaucoma may also damage central vision. Once lost, vision cannot be restored.
• Prevent Blindness Nebraska recommends that older people get regular, comprehensive eye exams, even if they have no signs of vision problems. The earlier glaucoma is detected, the better the chances are of preserving sight.
• About 1.65 million Americans age 50 and older have advanced vision- threatening cases of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. (Vision Problems in the U.S., March 2002.)
• AMD is a leading cause of blindness in people age 50 and older.
• Every day, as many as 2,000 workers suffer eye injuries on the job. There were an estimated 97,000 workplace-related eye injuries treated in US hospital emergency rooms in 2002. As of 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that eye injuries total more than $300 million a year in lost production time, medical expenses and worker compensation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics states that workers aged 25-44 accounted for 62 percent of eye injuries and 81 percent of those were men.
• Wearing the proper protective eyewear can prevent 90 percent of all job-related eye injuries.
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