Fy-Eye May 2020

Dear Friends,

We extend our sincere gratitude to you for your on-going and past support; it has been a milestone year for our Adult Vision Health Programs! I’m excited to share an update on Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s work in the fight against debilitating aging eye diseases. Our Adult Vision Health Program has served more than 50,000 adults through vision screening, vision health education, improved access to care, and more.

Because of your support, we have been able to help adults like Therese see the world a little more clearly. 

“I finally received an eye exam…I didn’t have one prior due to lack of funds to pay for one. My husband died from cancer and my income was cut in half, but bills still remained for me. I am so very grateful for my voucher. I found out my eyes have worsened and I needed new glasses. I can now see better. I really appreciate the help I received. I feel humbled. Thank you so very much! God bless all of you.” -Therese

Will you help us transform the lives of adults like Therese this year by making a gift today?  

$25 provides one certified adult vision screening. 

$50 provides a dilated eye exam for a referred adult. 

$100 provides in depth follow-up care education and navigation for a referred adult. 

$250 provides one vision screening toolkit enabling hundreds of local screenings. 

$500 provides a day of certified vision screenings at a partner site servicing high-risk adults.  
*Contributions to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. All gifts will be acknowledged for tax purposes.* 

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin continued to strengthen and grow our community partnerships by providing Adult Vision Screener Training and Certification to 147 community partners and volunteers. New partnerships were formed with organizations serving high-risk populations in the community. During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin reached approximately 123 community partners and healthcare professionals through vision health education workshops and sessions. We anticipate these professionals will then use their new knowledge to provide vision health education and advocate for the vision health of more than 1,800 community members.

To enable early detection of vision problems, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s Adult Vision Health Programs supported certified vision screenings for more than 800 adults during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Of those adults screened, approximately 680 were referred to further vision care. Currently, approximately 40% of adults referred to further vision care through the Adult Vision Health Program have received follow-up vision care and Prevent Blindness Wisconsin will continue to support the follow-up process for those who have not yet sought care. 

To continue this life-changing work, we ask you for your continued support to expand and enhance our vision health prevention and treatment programs as well as foster community partnerships which allow us to provide preventative vision health services to some of our the most vulnerable populations in our community. 

Friends, I am honored to share with you the story of just one of the many people whose life was improved by your ongoing support and collaboration. Thanks to your support, we are able to fulfill our mission and make healthy vision possible for community members like Maria.  

Maria received a vision screening through the Well Woman Program at the City of

Milwaukee’s Public Health Department and was referred to further vision care. Like many adults we serve, Maria had no idea she was at-risk for a vision problem and did not have vision insurance to cover an eye exam. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin was able to provide Maria with a free vision care voucher which enabled her to receive a dilated eye exam and glasses; however, that was only the beginning of Maria’s journey to healthy vision.

At her appointment, Maria’s eye doctor suspected she had glaucoma and referred her to a specialist for care – care that Maria could not afford and would not be covered by a vision care voucher. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin identified Maria as a great candidate for the financial assistance program at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is helping her apply to receive specialty care and any necessary treatments at no cost to her. We are eager to check in with Maria after her first appointment and are excited to offer our Adult Vision Health Programs’ resources to many other clients who need specialty care beyond their reach.