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Glaucoma Can Take Your Sight Away. Keep Vision in Your Future
Dr. Edwin C. Marshall, NOA Executive Liaison
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States - half of the 2.7 million people who have glaucoma do not know they have a potentially blinding disease. By 2030 the number of people with glaucoma will increase to 4.2 million. January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Throughout the month many organizations like the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) and the National Optometric Association (NOA) are working together to raise awareness about glaucoma among those at higher risk for the disease.
While anyone can get glaucoma, African Americans age 40 and over, everyone over 60 - especially Mexican Americans, and people with a family history of glaucoma are particularly vulnerable. As a member of the NEHEP Coordinating Committee, I am asking all NOA members to take extra special effort - not only this month but throughout the year - to help people at higher risk to keep vision in their future by educating them on how to protect themselves from this "silent thief of sight" that often has no early warning signs.
A key step to "advancing the visual health of minority populations" is to encourage African Americans, who have a 6 to 8 times higher risk, and all others at high risk to save their sight by having a comprehensive dilated eye exam every one to two years to detect glaucoma in its early stages.
You can go to the National Eye Institute website to access a variety of free resources in English and Spanish, including Facebook posts and Twitter tweets, to help you increase glaucoma awareness. Don't let our communities lose sight - early detection and treatment is the best way to prevent vision loss. Also access free information on the NOA's "Three Silent Killers" program for members at the NOA's website at NOA's Three Silent Killers.
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New Year's Greetings From the President
Greetings and thank you on behalf of the NOA Board of Directors. It is because of your encouragement and commitment that in 2014 we successfully continued our mission of "Advancing the Visual Health of Minority Populations."
The NOA acquired a new home office in Charlotte, NC. Our successful convention in D.C. included 14 hours of CE, innovative exhibitors and a rewarding service project for the residents in Washington Heights, MD. Regional opportunities to network with members and NOSA students were also provided.
As we continue our legacy of service, mentoring and providing support to the minority community please remember the NOA in your charitable contributions. The National Optometric Foundation is a 501c3 organization and your donations are tax deductible.
Additionally, please join the members who pledged contributions to our Growth Fund, led by our founder, Dr. C. Clayton Powell. These contributions continue to provide a strong foundation toward our operational growth and funding.
I invite you to join me in renewing your NOA membership in January 2015. Look for our incentives for renewing or becoming a NOA member in this issue of SIGHTLINE. Donations and membership payments can be mailed or made on our website.
We look forward to seeing you at our annual convention in Hilton Head, S.C. July 8-12, 2015.
Best wishes for a Blessed New Year!
Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown
President, National Optometric Association
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Berkeley Optometry's Annual Magazine Featured the NOA
Shown above with Dean John Flanagan are members of the NOA Board of Directors and members of the Berkeley Optometry faculty and staff who helped host the NOA for their annual meeting at Berkeley Optometry.
The Berkeley Optometry's annual magazine featured the NOA. Excerpts from the magazine follows:
Berkeley Optometry hosted the annual Board Meeting of the National Optometry Association (NOA) in October. The NOA has been a leader in the cause of improving the quality and accessibility of eye care in minority and other historically underserved communities. Increasing the number of minority eye care practitioners, through student recruitment and career placement, has been the NOA's historical focus. Those attending the meetings and dinner, hosted by Dean John Flanagan, were honored to hear first-hand the history of the NOA from co-founder Dr. C. Clayton Powell.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Powell served as the NOA's first president from 1969 to 1974. The timing for Berkeley Optometry to host the NOA Board Meeting could not have been better as current optometry students have also reestablished the school's relationship with the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) and are excited to help execute the mission of the organization.
Shown below are students Maria Cardenas '17 and Angel Barajas '17 with NOA co-founder Dr. C. Clayton Powell. (Photo featured in UC Berkeley Annual Magazine)
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