Free Educational Resources on Geographic Atrophy: Prevent Blindness and Protect Your Vision

Prevent Blindness, the leading nonprofit for eye health, announces Geographic Atrophy (GA) Awareness Week from December 2 to 8, 2024. This event aims to raise awareness and provide support to those affected by GA.

Prevent Blindness offers free educational resources on GA, including a fact sheet, social media graphics, a dedicated webpage, and expert-led videos. This year, funding comes from Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The organization provides the free program Living Well With Low Vision for individuals with GA and their caregivers. Participants can access directories, self-help guides, and apps like GuideME for AMD, along with information on clinical trials and the latest research.

Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, expressed optimism about research and treatments for GA. He encourages patients to utilize the available resources and collaborate with their eye doctors to devise optimal treatment plans.

Factors that can increase the risk for GA include:

• Family history of AMD
• Age (over 60 years old)
• Race (higher rates in Caucasians)
• Light-colored eyes
• Smoking
• Genetics
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Lack of menopausal hormone replacement therapy in women
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• High sun exposure throughout life
• Poor diet low in fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens

To further inform patients and caregivers, Prevent Blindness features an episode of the Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, titled "Advancements in Treatments for Geographic Atrophy." This episode includes insights from Dr. Rajeev S. Ramchandran, an expert in ophthalmology.

Additional episodes discuss early signs of GA. During the recent Ophthalmology Times/Optometry Times EyeCon 2024 event, Dr. David Chin Yee noted that patients often experience central vision loss, identified through visual acuity tests. Patients may also notice slower reading speeds and difficulties in low-light settings.

Prevent Blindness highlights the impact of vision loss on mental health. Their Vision Loss and Mental Wellness resource emphasizes the importance of support groups for individuals coping with GA. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and frustration may arise from the daily challenges of low vision.

For more details about GA resources, visit the Prevent Blindness website or contact your eye care provider.