The company is partnering with Prevent Blindness.
Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) has announced a commitment to fight preventable blindness in the U.S. with a new initiative called See America.
Through See America, Allergan “sets out to make vision health a priority for all Americans, increase awareness of the diseases that can cause preventable blindness and, critically, help improve access to vision care for those who need it most,” according to a press release.
The launch follows a September 2016 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), declaring eye health a public health imperative.
“Vision loss from diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy is affecting and destroying the lives of too many — with cases of preventable blindness increasing at such a frightening rate,” said Herm Cukier, senior vice president for eyecare at Allergan. “We are launching See America to stress the importance of eye health. The time to act is now.”
Without a nationwide intervention, cases of preventable blindness and visual impairment are projected to double by 2050, according to the press release.
Through See America, Allergan will partner with volunteer eye health and safety organization Prevent Blindness to champion better access to vision care. Through a series of vision-screening events in various cities, sponsored by Allergan, attendees will receive free one-on-one professional eye exams, follow-up treatment plans and education about the most common diseases affecting people’s vision. In addition to sponsoring Prevent Blindness, Allergan will look to partner on programs from like-minded organizations that support the goals of See America.
Many people are not aware of the perils associated with neglecting their vision. Currently, 61 million Americans are at risk of severe vision loss — more than the populations of California and Florida combined. But only half of those at risk visited an eye doctor in the last year.
To learn more about See America, visit www.SeeAmerica.vision.