Prevent Blindness Awareness Month is observed in February. AMD, or age-related macular degeneration, is a leading cause of vision loss for Americans age 50 and older. It affects central vision, where sharpest vision occurs, causing difficulty conducting daily tasks such as driving, reading, and recognizing faces.

Prevent Blindness Awareness Month is a time to educate about age-related macular degeneration. AMD affects part of the back of the eye called the macula, the central part of the retina (the “film” lining the inside the eye). When AMD damages the macula, the center part of a person’s vision may become blurred or wavy, and a blind spot may develop. AMD can cause vision loss quickly or slowly, and can make it very hard to do things that require sharp vision, such as reading, sewing, cooking or driving; it can also make it difficult to see in dim light. The good news is that AMD almost never causes total blindness, since it usually does not hurt side (peripheral) vision.

For low vision, Prevent Blindness offers the no-cost “Living Well with Low Vision” online resource at lowvision.preventblindness.org. Tools include a self-help guide to non-visual skills, a visual skills workbook for people with AMD, and a guide to caring for the visually impaired. A free directory of more than 1,500 paratransit services in cities across the country is also available for patients and caregivers in need.

Prevent Blindness has declared July as Dry Eye Awareness Month to provide free resources to providers and the public on dry eye, including fact sheets and shareable social media graphics available in English and Spanish, and a dedicated web page.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a condition that occurs when tears do not provide adequate lubrication for the eyes. The discomfort that results from dry eyes may affect vision. And, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI), if severe dry eye goes untreated, it can sometimes damage the cornea, the clear outer layer at the front of the eye.