interior April 2023 Newsletter from ISPB & PBIL banner image

April 2023 Newsletter from ISPB & PBIL



Women’s Eye Health & Safety Month

Prevent Blindness and ISPB/PBIL have declared April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month in an effort to educate the public on the increased risk for women and vision health issues, as well as steps that can be taken to prevent vision loss.

According to the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), the following eye diseases and conditions occur more frequently in women:

  • Refractive Error – 26 percent more women than men over the age of 12 have uncorrected visual impairment due to refracted error
  • Dry Eye – Two times more women than men over the age of 50 have dry eye disease
  • Age-related Macular Degeneration – 65 percent of individuals in the United States with Age-related Macular Degeneration are women
  • Cataract – 61 percent of individuals in the United States with cataract are women
  • Glaucoma – 67 percent of individuals in the United States with glaucoma are women
  • Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) – TED is 5-6 times more common in women than men

Find more information and resources HERE


We are extremely grateful to have received a generous gift from Ascension of our Lord Greek Orthodox Church in Lincolnshire. Thank you for believing in our mission!

ISPB Executive Director Elyse Fineman and Dreiske Awardee Bonnie Huang at the ISEPS-COS Meeting

Community Happenings

Our staff, team of interns, and volunteers provide eye health education and outreach at all types of community events – including health fairs, presentations and screenings! We will be continuing our efforts during these dates:

April 4, 2023
10:00am – Lake County Health Fair: Zion, IL
April 11, 2023
10:00am – Lake County Health Fair: Grayslake, IL
April 12, 2023
10:00am – NEIU Health Fair: Chicago, IL
April 13, 2023
5:00pm – Darien Parent Fair: Darien, IL
April 13, 2023    
1:00pm – Women’s Vision and Eye Health Presentation: Northbrook, IL
April 18, 2023
10:00am – Lake County Health Fair: Round Lake Beach, IL
April 25, 2023
10:00am – Lake County Health Fair: Antioch, IL
May 5, 2023
10:00am – Summit Community Health Fair: Summit, IL
May 10, 2023
9:00am – Well Women Day Celebration Health Fair : Cicero, IL
May 20, 2023
11:00am – Englewood Empowerment Expo: Chicago, IL

For more information, please contact rbarraza@preventblindness.org


We are thrilled to be the recipients of several pieces of donated eye exam equipment from Pioneer International and HEINE. They will be put to good use at our mobile eye exam clinics around the state. 


Looking for a Presentation for your Organization?

PBIL/ISPB offers presentations on a variety of eye health topics that can range from from 30 to 60+ minutes.

Some topics include:

  • Living Well with Low Vision
  • Aging and Your Eyes
  • Women’s Vision and Eye Health
  • Eye Safety in the Workplace
  • Diabetes and the Eyes

Contact rbarraza@preventblindness.org to schedule a presentation today!


Research Grants

ISPB offers unique grant opportunities supporting mentored pre-clinical or clinical research programs designed to foster junior investigator development while advancing clinical care in ophthalmology and optometry.

Please Note: APPLICATIONS are due on May 10, 2023 by midnight with awards announced in June. Checks are issued once grant recipients provide the final paperwork. Research projects must be completed by June 30th of the following calendar year.

For more information visit HERE

Copyright © 2017 Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness

Contact Us
Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness | https://eyehealthillinois.org/
Prevent Blindness Illinois https://preventblindness.org/contact-us/



September 2023 Newsletter From ISPB & PBIL

Sport’s Eye Safety Month New ANNUAL DATA from ISPB and PBIL shows that there were more than 32,000 sports-related eye injuries treated in the United States last year, an increase...

September is Sports Safety Month

New annual data from ISPB and PBIL shows that there were more than 32,000 sports-related eye injuries treated in the United States last year, an increase of almost 20...

My Retina Tracker Genetic Testing Program

Do you have a clinical diagnosis of inherited retinal degeneration (IRD) and live in the United States and/or the US territories? The Foundation Fighting Blindness, in partnership with Blueprint...

New Resources for Reducing Eye Strain from Screens

In response to increased virtual and screen-based activities during the coronavirus pandemic, ISPB and Prevent Blindness Illinois have launched a new awareness campaign,, Take a Screen Time Out. All...