The Eye Patch Club
Do you have a child with amblyopia ("lazy eye")? The Eye Patch Club is available for families coping with a child's amblyopia treatment through Prevent Blindness America.
Sight for Students
Vision for Life has developed Sight for Students, a program that provides free vision exams and glasses to low-income, uninsured students.
Prevent Blindness Wisconsin offers educational pamphlets and videotapes on a variety of eye diseases, eye health, and eye safety topics for children and adults. Please contact Prevent Blindness Wisconsin at info@preventblindnesswisconsin.org or (414) 765-0505 or visit our national website www.preventblindness.org for eye-related material.
Learn about Diseases affecting Adult Eye Sight
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular Degeneration, or AMD, is a leading cause of vision loss for Americans age 65 and older. As you age, your risk for AMD increases.
There are two kinds of AMD:
• Wet AMD causes the most serious vision loss. In this form of the disease, tiny unhealthy blood vessels grow under the retina. These blood vessels often break and leak, causing a loss of vision.
• Dry AMD is the most common form of AMD. This form of the disease usually progresses more slowly.
Signs of AMD:
• Straight lines, such as telephone poles, the sides of buildings or streetlights pole, look wavy.
• Type looks blurry.
• A dark or empty spot may block the center of your vision.
Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness among older adults. Yet young people and even newborns can have cataracts. The good news is that surgery restores sight in more than 95% of cataract cases.
What are cataracts?
• A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens
• A cataract blocks light needed for sight. Vision may become blurry or dim.
• A cataract is not contagious. Using the eyes will not make the cataract worse.
Signs of cataracts:
• Blurred vision, double vision, ghost images, or the sense of a “film” over the eyes.
• Lights seem to dim for reading or close-up work or strong light has a “dazzling” effect.
• Changing eyeglass prescriptions often, but the change may not seem to help your vision.
For more information about cataracts and other adult eye problems, visit www.preventblindness.org.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that is linked to diabetes. Anyone with diabetes is at risk for diabetic retinopathy. The longer someone has diabetes, the greater the chance of retinopathy. Over time, the disease can cause severe vision loss or blindness.
What is diabetic retinopathy?
• Diabetic retinopathy weakens blood vessels in the retina and unhealthy new blood vessels may start to grow.
• Weak blood vessels may leak fluid and cause swelling.
• When unhealthy, new blood vessels grow, they can cause dark spots, strands that look like cobwebs or clouding in your vision.
• Scars from healing blood vessels sometimes can pull the retina away from the back of the eye, leading to the retina tearing or becoming detached.
Glaucoma causes sight loss by damaging the part of the eye called the optic nerve. The optic nerve sends information from your eyes to your brain.
Signs of glaucoma:
• At first, glaucoma damages side vision.
• Over time, glaucoma may also damage straight-ahead vision and result in blindness.
• Glaucoma usually does not cause pain, so it may not be noticed until you have lost a great deal of vision.
For more information about glaucoma and other adult eye problems, visit www.preventblindness.org.
For information about Adult Vision Screenings near you or for more information about adult eye sight, contact Prevent Blindness Wisconsin at info@preventblindnesswisconsin.org or (414) 765-0505.
Learn about Common Eye Problems in Children
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a loss of vision in eyes that is not corrected by glasses and begins in childhood. Amblyopia results from a child having crossed eyes, eyes that do not line up, or one eye focuses better than the other leading to one eye becoming stronger than the other. If not treated, the weak eye will be able to see less and less and vision will get worse.
Signs of amblyopia in children:
• Favoring one eye
• Tilting the head
• An eye drifts or wanders when the child is tired, sick or in bright light
• A child tends to close one eye, especially in sunlight
• Rubbing the eyes
• Blinking too much
• Holding things close to his/her eyes.
Prevent Blindness America offers The Eye Patch Club, a support program for children with amblyopia and their families. For more information about amblyopia, the Eye Patch Club and other eye problems in children, visit www.preventblindness.org.
Strabismus (Crossed Eye)
Strabismus, or crossed eyes, occur when the eyes are not straight or do not line up with each other, caused when the muscles of the eyes do not work together. If not treated, the condition may lead to amblyopia (lazy eye).
For more information about strabismus and other eye problems in children, visit www.preventblindness.org.
Got Questions about Eye Health?
One component of Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s mission is to provide individuals with information regarding eye safety and preventative measures that can be taken to ensure your vision is preserved for many years. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin offers a variety of informational brochures for adults and children to the public for free. Below is a list of the available brochures.
If you would like to receive any of these brochures, please send a Self-addressed Stamped Envelope to 759 North Milwaukee Street, Suite 305, Milwaukee WI 53202 or call (414) 765-0505.
Adult Vision Health
Adult Vision Risk Assessment
Age-related Macular Degeneration
Cataract
Common Eye Problems
Diabetic Retinopathy
Glaucoma
Glaucoma Patient Guide
Guide to Cataract Surgery
Living with Low Vision
Signs of Possible Eye Problems in Adults
Understanding Retinitis Pigmetosa
Understanding Dry Eye
Eye Safety & Prevention
A Checklist for Your Eye Doctor Appointment
Computer & Your Eyes
Contact Lenses
Eye Safety is No Accident
Family Home Eye Test
First Aid for Eye Emergencies
Growing Older with Good Vision
Sunglasses
Ultraviolet (UV) Rays
Child Vision Health
Amblyopia
Preschool Home Eye Test
Play It Safe
Safe Summer Celebrations
Strabismus
Your Baby’s Eyes
Your Child’s Sight
