Despite significant strides toward gender inclusivity in healthcare, women remain at higher risk for vision impairment and blindness than men, yet are demonstrably less likely to receive treatment. Vision health advocacy organization Prevent Blindness is striving to reverse this trend by calling closer attention to these disparities. 

One pillar of this initiative is declaring the month of April Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month, a 30-day event established to educate the public on women’s increased risk of vision health issues, as well as recommend steps that can be taken to prevent vision loss. 

A Closer Look at Gender-Related Eye Health Disparities

There are multiple examples within healthcare treatment and demographics that illustrate the comparative vulnerability of women to eye health issues. Data from the Society of Women’s Health Research indicates that: 

• Women over 12 are 26% more likely than men in the same age group to have uncorrected visual impairment due to refractive error.
• Women over 50 are twice as likely as men to have dry eye disease.
• Over 65% of individuals in the United States with age-related macular degeneration are women. 
• Over 60% of individuals in the United States with cataracts are women.
• Over 65% of individuals in the United States with glaucoma are women.
• Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) is five to six times more common in women than in men. 

Additional data published in The Lancet Global Health attributes these disparities to, among other factors, longer lifespan and reduced access to care. 

Get Involved and Show Your Support!

Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month presents ample opportunity for patients, advocates, and caregivers alike to learn more about the immediate and macro issues that affect themselves and the people for whom they provide care. Prevent Blindness offers a variety of free resources, including videos, fact sheets, shareable social media graphics, and a listing in English and Spanish of financial assistance programs for eye care. 

It will also be debuting a new video as part of the new “Diabetes + the Eyes” educational series, featuring patient advocates Serena Valentine and Melissa Taussig, as well as other leading voices from the vision care and women’s health communities. You can share these resources on social media and move the conversation forward!

*Prevent Blindness. (2022, March 30). Prevent Blindness Declares April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month, Provides Resources to Help Protect Women’s Vision. https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/prevent-blindness-declares-april-as-womens-eye-health-and-safety-month-provides-resources-to-help/article_7187df3c-74ff-5bef-a771-650a39e30d83.html