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Fall 2020 Newsletter from ISPB and Prevent Blindness IL
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November Is Diabetes-related Eye Disease Month
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020, shows that 34.2 million Americans have diabetes and 88 million American adults have prediabetes. Alarmingly, more people are developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes during youth, and racial and ethnic minorities continue to develop type 2 diabetes at higher rates. The CDC also states that diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults. In Illinois approximately 1.34 million (12.8%) adults have diabetes and 3.6 million (37.5%) have prediabetes.
Seeing the Way to Better Health: Diabetes and Vision Health
Prevent Blindness Illinois and ISPB have declared November to be Diabetes-related Eye Disease Month to educate on the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults, and offer informational resources, including factsheets, training modules, and social media graphics to help save sight from diabetes-related eye disease. Among these resources includes the Diabetes and Vision Health Issue Brief, developed in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.
The Chicago CARES to Prevent Diabetes Program is highlighted in the brief. Chicago CARES to Prevent Diabetes is a multi-sector effort focused on expanding access to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) and telehealth-enabled diabetes-related retinopathy screening in Chicago communities with a disproportionate diabetes burden. Learn more about teleretinal diabetic retinopathy screening (TDRS) resources and efforts to expand TDRS in Illinois.
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Teleophthalmology Research Partnership Opportunity
Dr. Yao Liu, MD, MS, and her team at the University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Teleophthalmology Program are seeking to identify potential research partnerships with urban teleophthalmology programs that may be interested in helping to recruit patients with diabetes to participate in focus group discussions on teleophthalmology and diabetic eye screening. They hope to use this information to increase patient access and utilization of these programs. Review participation information.
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Diabetes-Related Eye Disease
The longer someone has diabetes, the higher risk they face for developing vision issues. Diabetes-related eye disease refers to eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of the disease. Diabetes-related retinopathy (DR) is a disease that damages the blood vessels of the eye, causing them to leak and bleed into the retina. Individuals may not experience symptoms in the early stages of DR, which is why it is important for individuals with diabetes to have an eye exam annually, or as directed by their doctor.
Diabetes and the Eyes Toolkit
Prevent Blindness has developed a Diabetes and the Eyes toolkit, which includes downloadable factsheets, Power Point presentation slides, social media graphics and more. Materials are available in English and Spanish. Fill out an online request form to receive a zipped file with free toolkit materials.
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Small Steps for Big Vision:
An Eye Health Information Toolkit for Parents and Caregivers
The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has partnered with the National Head Start Association to create an online resource – Small Steps for Big Vision: An Eye Health Information Tool Kit for Parents and Caregivers – to provide parents and caregivers with the information, suggested actions, and assistance they need to be empowered partners in their children’s vision and eye health, and to care for their own vision and eye health.
The tool kit was designed for use by Head Start and Early Head Start programs, as well as any early childhood education and care program. Small Steps for Big Vision is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $300,000 with 5% financed with non-governmental sources.
Upcoming Webinars
Two webinars in November will feature the newly launched Small Steps for Big Vision. On November 10, a “Walk-Through” of the kit is being presented by NCCVEH and on November 16, a webinar in Spanish is being co-hosted and presented by the East Coast Migrant Head Start Program. Finally, on December 2, the Center is partnering with the National Indian Head Start Directors Association to present a webinar and children’s vision and eye health. Registration information will follow.
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The All Children's Health Initiative for Eye and Vision Excellence (ACHIEVE Initiative)
The National Optometric Association (NOA) and the National Children’s Center for Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness are partnering to raise awareness of the importance of vision for children. As a kick-off to children’s vision and safety month in August, the NOA sponsored a series of children’s vision webinars featuring NOA members. Prevent Blindness also offered a webinar on resources for children’s vision and eye health during ACHIEVE events in October.
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Take a Screen Time-Out
In response to increased virtual activity during the coronavirus pandemic, Prevent Blindness has launched Screen Time-Out, an awareness campaign to encourage Americans, especially parents of young children, to introduce regular screen breaks into their daily routines. The Screen Time-Out campaign will live on social media – where device users are already spending a lot of their recreational screen time.
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