June is Cataract Awareness Month
In 2013, U.S. nonprofit, Prevent Blindness declared June Cataract Awareness Month in order to educate the public and promote preventative measures. We believe that by educating people in the U.S. about cataracts and how to prevent and cure avoidable blindness, we’ll be one step closer to our goal of eradicating it.
In the United States, there are currently more than 25.7 million people affected by cataracts. According to Prevent Blindness’ website, cataracts are a leading cause of blindness among older adults in the U.S with more than half of all Americans diagnosed by age 80. Worldwide, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, accounting for 51% of all cases, according to the World Health Organization.
Eye care remains one of the greatest health challenges of our time but also one that we can overcome. This month, is a reminder to keep this in mind and thank you for supporting our mission to deliver cataract care to underserved, needlessly blind people in the developing world.
To learn more about the causes of blindness: {page_5}
To find out how we plan to eradicate avoidable blindness: {page_296}
More information about Cataract Awareness Month is available at: http://www.preventblindness.org/