Prevent Blindness America Launches New Awareness C

CHICAGO, Oct. 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Women are at significantly greater risk of blindness or visual impairment than men. In fact, according to the 2012 " Vision Problems in the US " study, 66 percent of those experiencing blindness are women, 61 percent of those suffering with cataracts are women and 65 percent of those with age-related macular degeneration are women. The causes for these conditions, including age, hormonal factors and certain autoimmune diseases, are often very different for women than for men and the precautions and treatments may differ as well.

To address these issues, today, Prevent Blindness America (PBA) launches "See Jane See – Women's Healthy Eyes Now" a web-based educational campaign dedicated solely to women's vision health.  See Jane See and the dedicated website, SeeJaneSee.org , offers free information and downloadable tip sheets created specifically for women on a variety of issues across the age spectrum.  Information will also include symptoms, causes and treatment options for a variety of conditions.

"There has not been nearly enough discussion focused on women's vision health," said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. "With the launch of the See Jane See program, we will be providing an invaluable, user-friendly resource for women of all ages, so they can be aware of the risks, conditions and treatments that are specifically relevant to them."

PBA's future goals for See Jane See include providing timely information through new articles on women's vision health written by experts in the field; results of a new national survey; and videos that will address a variety of issues to help women maintain healthy vision for a lifetime.

Downloadable See Jane See fact sheets include:

• Pregnancy and Your Vision
• Safe Use of Eye Cosmetics
• Nutritional Supplements and Vision
• Understanding Dry Eye

The PBA website also houses a number of informative studies, reports and fact sheets that address a wide range of eye health and safety topics.  To get the facts, please visit SeeJaneSee.org , preventblindness.org or call (800) 331-2020.   

About Prevent Blindness America

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America 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 America 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 and regional offices, Prevent Blindness America is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America.  For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at preventblindness.org or facebook.com/preventblindness.

Pascale Communications Mona Finston (201)839-5564 Prevent Blindness America Sarah Hecker (312) 363-6035