CHICAGO—In an effort to educate the public on the various forms of Inflammatory Eye Disease (IED), Prevent Blindness, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health organization, has declared Sept. 27 – Oct. 3, 2021, as the first-ever Inflammatory Eye Disease Awareness Week. Early detection and treatment of IED can significantly reduce vision loss. As part of this initiative, Prevent Blindness has created a dedicated webpage providing detailed information on IED, downloadable fact sheets in English and Spanish, and resources for eyecare. Additionally, shareable social media graphics will be posted on the Prevent Blindness social media channels throughout the week. Development of these new resources was supported by a grant from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

As part of IED Awareness Week, Prevent Blindness will feature a new episode in its Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, with an interview of Dr. Ann-Marie Lobo of the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Co-Director, Uveitis Service, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Her area of expertise is diagnosis and treatment of patients with ocular inflammatory and infectious diseases. Also included is a patient interview with Addison Schwaller, Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant at Logansport Memorial Hospital in Logansport, Ind. Ms. Schwaller shares her experience of living with pars planitis, a form of uveitis.
 
Other types of IED include keratitis, conjunctivitis, thyroid eye disease (aka Graves’ ophthalmopathy or Graves’ Eye Disease).
 
“As with most eye diseases and conditions, access to quality eyecare and treatment can help prevent vision loss and even blindness from Inflammatory Eye Disease,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “Making eye health a priority today protects our sight now and into the future.”
 
For more information on inflammatory eye disease, visit https://preventblindness.org/inflammatory-eye-disease. For a listing of vision care financial assistance programs in English or Spanish, visit https://www.preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information.