INVEST IN EYE HEALTH LITERACY

It’s estimated that 87-million American minority adults have low health literacy, putting them in triple jeopardy. This is because they likely also have limited access to care, are less likely to participate in screening and disease prevention activities, and are less likely to manage a chronic disease. Low health-literacy rates contribute to the enormous health disparities within impoverished communities. Many children do not receive proper screenings and care, resulting in preventable vision-loss.

Specifically, adults with less than a high school education are almost twice as likely to have difficulty seeing as those who have a high school education or more -- 14% and 8% respectively. Among people with an annual income under $20,000, 15% have visual impairments as compared to 6% of people with an annual income of $55,000 or more.

For this reason, in October, 2022, FFF is celebrating the achievements of people who are blind and visually impaired, while raising awareness for the importance of eye health with a free community Vision Fair at Cal State Los Angeles. See VisionFair.org for more details.