Causes of Blindness
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General Information
Below is a list of topics you'll find in this section. Click on a title to jump to a specific topic.
Full-Text Articles
Web-Based Organizations and Resources
Full-Text Articles
Glossary of Eye Conditions
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?DocumentID=2139
This site gives short one-paragraph descriptions of many eye conditions, with links to organizational resources. American Foundation for the Blind is a well known and respected blindness organization. This information is written in easy to understand language.American Foundation for the Blind Directory
http://www.afb.org
The AFB website offers a helpful geographic directory of services for people who are blind or visually impaired in the U.S. and Canada. The free web-based version of the directory is geared toward blind or visually impaired individuals and their families and professionals to find information quickly. Professionals may want to subscribe to the online version of the AFB Directory of Services that contains information on more than 1500 agencies or organizations in the field and offers more advanced search capabilities. The AFB website directory information is updated continuously; AFB is a respected organization in the field of blindness.Medline Plus website on eye diseases
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eyediseases.html
This website is sponsored by the National Library of Medicine. A central page for eye diseases links to common eye problems, directories, major organizations, eye disorders of children and seniors, research and clinical trials. It also gives a link for information in Spanish. The webpage has been updated in 2007.The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.
Visual Impairments Factsheet, National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs13txt.htm
This website offers definitions of blindness and visual impairment and links to some of the major organizations in the blindness field. It was updated in January 2004 and has a pdf version as well as html. This website would be useful for someone who doesn't have much knowledge about blindness and relevant organizations and needs a simple overview.
Web-Based Organizations and Resources
American Foundation for the Blind
www.afb.org
Contains a great deal of general information on all aspects of blindness including living with blindness, information for families, statistics and research.Foundation Fighting Blindness
http://www.blindness.org
The mission of The Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc. (FFB) is to drive the research that will provide prevention, treatments and cures for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), macular degeneration, Usher Syndrome, and all retinal degenerative diseases. The site has brief summaries of the diseases, including description, diagnosis, risk factors, preventive measures, and appropriate low-vision aids. Some of the topics feature photographs, charts, and links to research articles. There are also many links on coping with low vision, with many practical suggestions for daily living. This site is very up to date, including many updated entries from 2007. It is very accessible, and it is Bobby approved.National Eye Institute
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/
The National Eye Institute website offers information on various eye diseases, including symptoms, causes, treatments, prognosis, and related organizations. The main page was modified in January 07, and some of the information sheets have been updated as of December 06. The National Eye Institute is the Primary National Institute of Health organization for research on eye diseases. The fact sheets would be easy to understand by the layperson.This site has some tips for accessibility although it is not "bobby approved."
Sight Services, Lions Club
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/vision_sight_services.shtml
This website has very short summaries of a few eye diseases that are easily understand by the public. There are links for common eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and information on screening. The site features the Lions' eye bank and eyeglass recycling programs. The Lions are well known for their service to people who are blind and visually impaired and are active in prevention of blindness. The website has a 2006 copyright date. There is a textual access to this site.