Write the Vision provides resources with a specific focus and theme that corresponds with the time of year. Use these resources in your community outreach to educate African Americans about the importance of comprehensive dilated eye exams.
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month!
Take time to talk about glaucoma.
Did you know that glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness among African Americans? More than half of all people with glaucoma don't even know they have it, because this disease has no symptoms in its early stages. Early detection, before noticeable vision loss occurs, is critical.
Help members of your organization and the communities you serve to keep an eye out for glaucoma. Encourage them to talk with their family about glaucoma. But don’t stop there; remind them to schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Additional resources are available. Use the following Write the Vision materials to start the conversation:
Article
Use this article in any of your publications or newsletters to educate people about eye health. You can copy and paste the text into a new document or download and use the file as is.
Fact sheet
Find information and tips to help you communicate important eye health messages to African Americans.
Infographics
Share these infographics with your networks, community leaders, and partner organizations. Print and place the infographics in common areas, post on your website and social media pages, and encourage others to do the same.
- African Americans and eye health: Glaucoma with healthy vision tips
- African Americans and eye health: Glaucoma
Slides/flyers
Please share these slides/flyers with the people in your community. Include them in presentations and weekly congregational announcements, place in common areas, and post on your website and social media pages.
- Glaucoma Awareness Month (animated slide)
- 3 reasons you should talk about glaucoma (with woman)
- 3 reasons you should talk about glaucoma (with family)
- 3 things you should be saying about glaucoma
Featured resource
Check out our January eye health feature, the Glaucoma website.
Social media posts for January
Here are the Write the Vision social media posts for January. We hope you are as excited as we are to share them. Get the word out in the community by sharing these posts about healthy vision. Join the national conversation by using the hashtag #MyHealthyEyes.
| Facebook posts | Right-click to download the image | Twitter posts |
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Did you know African Americans are at higher risk for glaucoma? They are also more likely to get glaucoma at a younger age and lose vision from the disease. Learn more: https://nei.nih.gov/glaucoma |
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#DidYouKnow #AfricanAmericans are at higher risk for #glaucoma and more likely to get it at a younger age? http://bit.ly/1xRLR8y |
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Half of the people with glaucoma don’t know they have it, and African Americans are at higher risk. The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Learn about eye exams here: https://www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/eyeexam |
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Half of people with #glaucoma don’t know they have it. #AfricanAmericans are at higher risk. Get a dilated eye exam. http://bit.ly/2geqhJ3 |
Click on the month to view and download those resources.
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