 Fy-Eye: June 2019 |
Upcoming Events Wednesday, July 31 Trestle Park – Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward Registration is now open. Invite your family and friends on Facebook! *Sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit our Lizzy’s Walk website or contact Bridget at [email protected] of 414-765-0505 for more information. Upcoming Trainings View the Children’s Vision Screener Training Schedule June Newsletter Articles 2019-2020 Preschool Vision Screening Ambassador – Ellie Record Breaking Children’s Vision Screening Year! Upcoming Certified Children’s Vision Screener Trainings Corporate Volunteers Make a Big Difference Adult Vision Screenings Making a Difference in the Racine Community June is Cataract Awareness Month Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Apparel About Us Founded in 1958, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin improves the lives of children, adults, and families through early detection of eye conditions to prevent blindness and preserve sight. On-going vision screening activities and state-wide public health education lead to a lifetime of healthy vision. wisconsin.preventblindness.org
Support Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Support Prevent Blindness Wisconsin throughout the year by holding an event in our honor at your work, school or church. Some ideas include: – Jeans Day – Dedicate your birthday – Bake sale Please contact Bridget at [email protected] for PBW marketing materials. |
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Meet our 2019-2020 Preschool Vision Screening Ambassador – Ellie Ellie McGinty, a student at the Menomonee Falls Preschool Co-op was vision screened by the Menomonee Falls Community League volunteer vision screening group. Volunteers noticed a potential problem and sent a note home reccommending eye care. Ellie’s mom, Colleen says, “Ellie had received a vision screening prior to the preschool vision screening. However, when we received the preschool screening results, the volunteer comments were very detailed and helped us understand why and how Ellie did not pass her screening. This was helpful. Ellie initially had some difficulty writing her name and organizing letters, but since receiving glasses, writing her name seems to come a little easier. It took some time for Ellie to adjust to wearing glasses, but now she loves matching her outfit to her new frames!”
Record Breaking Children’s Vision Screening Year! Thank you to all of our partners throughout the state that provided certified children’s vision screening during the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Together, we screened 263,771 children and referred 29,275 onto further vision care.
Swing for Sight Golf Outing Success! Thank you to all who supported the 24th Annual Swing for Sight Outing on Monday! The record-breaking day featured 123 golfers (including 3 celebrity golfers), 25+ sponsors, raffle, live auction, special iron raffle and more! The event is expected to raise more than $85,000 to support free vision screening programs to save sight for individuals across the state. Follow us on Facebook to see all of our photos! Join us for our next event, Lizzy’s Walk, a family-friendly walk and fundraiser on Wednesday, July 31 in the Historic Third Ward.
20/20 Challenge
You can help prevent blindness through early detection of eye conditions in children and adults. Throughout Wisconsin, we give children and adults the gift of healthy vision to improve quality of life. An investment of $20 per month provides one Certified Vision Screening. Celebrate the year 2020 – the year of vision – as a monthly donor to help Prevent Blindness Wisconsin achieve its vision for each Wisconsin resident to have healthy vision at every stage of life! Will you accept our challenge to make a gift of $20 per month for 20 months and help 20 individuals improve their vision health?
Emiliano, a 4K student at Bruce Guadalupe Community School was vision screened this past fall by a corporate partner, Executive Benefits Network (EBN). Emiliano’s mom says, “Emiliano is adjusting to wearing his glasses pretty well. His eye exam and glasses have helped him. When he first tried them on, he said he could see so much better and everything is clearer. I have seen a lot of improvement at home. He no longer places objects close to his face, and he does not squint his eyes as much. As for improvement at school, I think he can see the board better.” Thank you EBN for collaborating with us to vision screen and help us ensure that students like Emiliano have clear vision! |
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Scott was vision screened by a dedicated Community Health Nurse at James Place this past January. After not passing his vision screening, Scott’s next steps were clear to him, but how to go about them was fuzzy. Scott, similar to many adults, did not have the means to afford an eye exam or a pair of glasses. After turning in an application and being accepted for the Adult Voucher Program, Scott had this to say about his next steps, “The vision screening and voucher program provided a way for me to know more about my vision health and helped me receive an eye exam and glasses when I had no insurance. My new glasses have helped me and allow me to read my mail, bills, and books. They make every day easier.” Upcoming Certified Children’s Vision Screener Trainings Sign up for one of our upcoming Children’s Vision Screener Trainings. If you have questions or if you would like to schedule a training, please contact Shelby at [email protected].
Corporate Volunteers Make a Big Difference During their annual Baird Gives Back Week, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin partnered with Baird employees and vision screened students from St. Anthony School. Thank you to the more than 30 volunteers from Baird for donating your time and helping us make healthy vision possible for children in our community. Together we provided vision screenings for 625 students and referred 183 of those students for further vision care. Thank you Baird and St. Anthony School for a great week of sight-saving work! #bairdgivesbackweek
As the school year wraps up, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin wants to say a big “thank you” to all of our nurse partners throughout the state. This year, nurses reported vision screening 126,736 students and referring 15,576 on for further care. Because of your dedication to vision screening and follow-up care, these students are set on the path for healthy vision for a lifetime. If you have questions about vision screening, would like to schedule a training, or need additional materials, please email Shelby at [email protected]. |
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Prevent Blindness Wisconsin held a Certified Children’s Vision Screening Training for 10 members of the Cuba City Lions Club. Participants had hands-on practice with the vision screening tools and charts. “This was a great experience. I feel like I really learned something new,” said one of the participants. We are thankful for all of our Lions Club partners throughout the state! If you have questions or would like to schedule a training for your club, please email Shelby at [email protected].
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Thank you to all the Head Start grantees who shared vision screening numbers with us this year. We received reports of screening 10,280 children and referring 1,182 on for further care. We are proud to offer vision health and screening support to our Head Start partners throughout the state. If you are interested in scheduling a vision screening training or have more questions about the vision health programs we can offer, please email Shelby at [email protected]. |
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Adult Vision Screenings Making a Difference in the Racine Community Thanks to funding from the Marjorie Christiansen Foundation, our adult vision health programming has been expanding throughout Racine County, helping identify vision concerns in the most at-risk adults. Currently, 121 adults who have been vision screened through this program are started on their path to healthy vision. Screening sites include the Hospitality Center, Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin, the Salvation Army and many more. We would like to thank all the screening sites who hosted us; we are excited to help these adults attain the vision care they need and deserve!
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Our staff would like to thank Jeff McClellan and his team at Anthologie, Inc. for all the time and hard work they put towards PBW’s mission and vision. Recently, Jeff’s team created an ad promoting glaucoma awareness for MKE Lifestyle’s May Eye Care Edition. Turn to page 36 in this edition—we promise you won’t regret it. We thank you again, Anthologie, Inc., for your beautiful works of art and dedication to our mission. Our team is extremely grateful for all you do! |
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We would like to extend a warm welcome to Shirley Yang, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Community Health Education student, who will be joining our team as a full-time intern this summer. Shirley is fluent in Hmong and has experience working with the Hmong population in La Crosse through H.O.P.E (Hmong Organization Promoting Education). She hopes to work in the non-profit setting after she graduates from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse this September. Keep your eyes peeled for Shirley at our office and out in the community at our vision screenings and outreach events—and if you see her, say hello! We are very excited to continue this blossoming partnership with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and look forward to having Shirley as part of the team this summer. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is proud and honored to announce it has been awarded grants from the Catholic Community Foundation, the Jeweler’s Mutual Charitable Giving Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin Foundation to support our sight-saving services. Thank you Catholic Community Foundation for supporting the Star Pupils – Milwaukee Catholic program which ensures children in Milwaukee Catholic schools that cannot manage vision screening in-house have access to sight-saving vision screenings and vision health education. Thank you Jeweler’s Mutual Charitable Giving Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program which brings the future into focus for more than 3,000 children in Neenah and Menasha. Thank you Woman’s Club of Wisconsin Foundation for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program for three to five-year-old children in the Greater Milwaukee area. This program ensures children begin their educational careers with the healthy vision they need for long-term success.
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| Will you be part of the 90%?
June is Cataract Awareness Month. A cataract is a common eye disease that affects many adults as they age. Cataracts cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy. As the lens becomes cloudy over time, it makes it harder for light to strike the retina (the back of the eye) at a sharp point, making images appear blurry and hazy. 95% of cataracts are age-related. By age 65, over 90% of people will have a cataract and half will experience some type of visual loss from it. Cataracts can be detected and monitored through regular dilated eye exams. As cataracts become worse, cataract surgery can be performed to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear, artificial lens. Cataract: What Increases Your Risk? Aging & Cataracts The eyes go through a lot in a lifetime–as the eye ages, the lens begin to form protein deposits, causing them to become cloudy over time. Common symptoms of a cataract include blurry, hazy vision, double vision, seeing a halo around lights, and difficulty driving at night. I’ve Got Sunshine….on a Cloudy Day Even if the sun is not brightly shining, it is important to wear sunglasses when outside. Unprotected, long-term exposure to the sun can damage the lens of the eyes over time and can cause cataracts as one ages. It is important to wear sunglasses that have a label stating they “absorb 99-100% of UV-A and UV-B rays.” Think Twice Before Lightning Up Smoking greatly affects the overall health and functions of the eye. (Cigarette smoke can alter the cells of the lens through oxidation. Debris, such as heavy metals (cadmium), can accumulate on the lens over time.) Those who smoke double their risk of forming cataracts, while heavy smokers (those who smoke a pack or more a day) triple their risk of forming cataracts. Dilated Eye Exams Dilated eye exams are the only way to diagnose cataracts, making it very important to receive dilated eye exams as recommended by an eye doctor. Once diagnosed, the eye doctor will monitor the cataract until it is considered “ripe” or severe enough to be surgically removed. What Does Life Look Like With a Cataract? Put yourself in the shoes of someone living with a cataract and see what their world would look like. Download the AR Eye App for your Android or Apple IOS device today! Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Apparel
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Special Events Intern Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is looking for a volunteer Special Events and Communications Intern to assist in the planning of our three annual events as well as other events and development duties that include: auction solicitation, sponsor recognition, and newsletter creation. For more information, please email Bridget at [email protected]. Interns Interns are needed all year-round! If you are interested in learning about Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s internship opportunities, please contact Breanna at [email protected].
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Your support allows us to carry out our vision for each Wisconsin resident to have healthy vision at every stage of life. Thank you!
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