CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month in an effort to educate women about the fact that more women than men have eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye. Women may also have vision related issues due to pregnancy and menopause. Women in the menopausal and postmenopausal age group are also at higher risk for dry eye disease due to the changes in balance of hormones, according to Prevent Blindness.

The Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems, a Prevent Blindness study, showed that currently, 63 percent of those that are blind and 62 percent of those that are visually impaired are women.

For the third consecutive year, OCuSOFT Inc., a privately held eye and skin care company dedicated to innovation in eyelid hygiene and ocular health, will support April’s Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month with a donation to Prevent Blindness.

“We want to remind women of every age that the key to healthy vision in the future is taking care of the eyes today,” said Jeff Todd, incoming president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “Wearing the proper eye protection, quitting smoking, eating healthy foods, and talking to an eyecare professional about any vision changes or changes in medications, are just a few ways to help ensure a lifetime of healthy vision.”

For more information on women’s eye health, including fact sheets on eye diseases and eye protection, visit www.preventblindness.org, or call (800) 331-2020. Prevent Blindness also offers a free listing of financial assistance services in English and Spanish that can be found here.