Give the Gift of Sight

October was an exciting month for the Macular Degeneration Partnership! We were able to reach out to thousands of at-risk seniors at two events on the West Coast. One of our missions is to raise awareness of macular degeneration and to educate seniors about how they can protect and preserve their vision.

The AARP Annual Event and Expo draws over 25,000 people - all of them potentially at risk for age-related macular degeneration(AMD). Every year, the Partnership organizes a Vision Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall. Thousands of people visited our booth, took a self-test for AMD and learned about protecting their vision. Thanks to donations from FantasEyes and Live EyeWear, more than 100 of them walked away with new sunglasses. The ultraviolet rays of the sun can damage your retina and promote cataracts.

An unrestricted grant from Genentech, Inc. allowed us to work with the wonderful Doris Roberts, from "Everybody Loves Raymond". She drew almost 1200 people to our lifestyle session.

The California Women's Conference was next on our agenda. For one day, 25,000 women gathered to be educated and inspired. Since women are more at risk for AMD than men, this was a great opportunity to share tips for protecting their vision. We met many attendees who have macular degeneration in their family and who did not know about the genetic link and the danger to their own vision.

We continue to send out hundreds of helpful AMD Toolkits every month. People with macular degeneration call and email us with questions and worries. Your past donations have helped us provide help and support to thousands. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts.