on educating others about eye care
Unite for Sight, a new undergraduate organization aimed at focusing public attention on the importance of preserving sight, will present a free community vision screening on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St.
At the screening, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., preschool children will be checked for both ambylopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (cross eye).
"Eighty percent of all blindness is preventable," says Jennifer Staple '03 of Timothy Dwight College, whose experiences working as an ophthalmologic assistant last summer inspired her to found Unite for Sight. "About 500,000 children become blind in one eye each year because of a brain malfunction that causes lazy eye. This screening program is especially important because, if undetected by the age of 5, lazy eye causes irreversible blindness."
After a child is diagnosed with lazy eye, she explains, the preschooler will be referred to an ophthalmologist for medical treatment, which usually involves a patch or glasses to allow the eye to network to the brain.
Unite for Sight also sponsors vision education programs about the risk factors and effects of such eye diseases as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment; the impact of aging on vision; ways to maintain vision health; and the importance of regular eye examinations.
The group also plans to sponsor an annual "Eyes on New Haven" program each spring to teach children the measures they can take now to protect their vision later in life.
Unite for Sight is currently holding a "Donate Your Eyes" drive on the Yale campus. Members of the University community are encouraged to donate their used prescription eyeglasses or nonprescription UV-protected sunglasses, which will be sent to eye clinics in developing countries for patients who cannot afford to purchase glasses. Collection bins are located in all University dining halls, as well as in Dwight Hall, Sterling Memorial Library, Kline Biology Tower and the Blue Dog Café in the Hall of Graduate Studies.
For further information, send email to jennifer.staple@yale.edu or visit the group's website at www.uniteforsight.org.
T H I S
Bulletin Home
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale announces $250 milion plan for arts buildings
Streep, other alumni stars to shine for Yale
University gets Seal of the City
Yale astronomers spot new planet
Grant will fund database for brain research
Green Hall is dedicated as 'versatile' home to School of Art
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSChemist J. Michael McBride is the new Richard M. Colgate Professor
Eire named T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History, Religious Studies
Slavic scholar Hilary Fink is appointed the Sarai Ribicoff ProfessorHaskins Lab to study how speakers and listeners interact
Research reveals patients don't understand risks of angioplasty
Study: Virtual reality headsets ease patients' discomfort
Yale team's software results in more accurate polling
Actor extols Yale experience and the power of words
Heaney recalls when 'poetry came like a grace into my life'
Veteran actor Ernest Borgnine reminisces about his career
Philosopher to discuss impact of globalization
'Unite for Sight': Undergraduates focus on educating others about eye care
English Department to host annual staged play reading
Concert to benefit Dwight Hall
Tribute to celebrate Copland's life and work
Conference to focus on 'Staging Brazilian and Portuguese Theater'
Legal scholars to honor former Law School dean
Women artists to discuss their works
Campus Notes
In the News
Yale Scoreboard
|Visiting on Campus|
Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board
Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff
Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page