CHICAGO— Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month in an effort to encourage women to make their vision health a priority and schedule a dilated eye exam. Women are more affected by eye disease and other eye conditions than men, according to the 2008 “Vision Problems in the U.S.” study conducted by Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute. The study consistently shows that, every year, more women than men are diagnosed with eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy.

“No matter what age you are, it’s never too early to start visiting your eye doctor and scheduling regular dilated eye exams,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America.

Changes in vision can occur for women at various stages of life including pregnancy and post-menopause. Most frequently, hormonal fluctuations cause dry eye syndrome, bringing the number of female sufferers to 6 million a year as opposed to 3 million men, according to the National Women’s Health Resource Center.

Fertility treatments can also cause refractive changes, dry eyes, puffy eyelids that obscure side vision and sensitivity to light due to migraine headaches. Pregnant women who experience blurred vision and seeing spots should be discuss their symptoms with a doctor as this may be a sign of diabetes or high blood pressure. A recent study published in the March 2010 issue of Ophthalmology showed that women who are post menopausal and receiving Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) treatments may be at an increased risk for cataracts.