CHICAGO— Prevent Blindness and the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) have announced their collaboration called “Community InSight” program, which strives to improve the vision and eye health of the coalition’s 15.7 million African American churchgoers.

African Americans have among the highest risks for developing eye health issues like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, compared to other ethnicities. According to the National Eye Institute, blindness from glaucoma is six times as common in blacks as in whites. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also stated that African American adults are twice as likely as non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and its related complications, including diabetic eye disease.

“The good news is that through early diagnosis and treatment, the blinding effects of glaucoma and diabetic eye disease can be lessened,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “What we need to do is not only educate everyone on these conditions, but also address the obvious health disparities involved and break through the barriers that so many face in accessing quality eyecare. We hope this new collaboration with the NBCI will help us achieve that goal.”

The program is designed to educate and equip designated Health Navigators, who will serve as peer-to-peer health educators in NBCI congregations. These Navigators would then pass their knowledge on, increasing awareness of eye health with an emphasis on diabetic eye disease and glaucoma. Navigators would also work to increase the number of annual dilated eye exams for parishioners living with diabetes or who are at high risk for glaucoma.

“Vision and eye health disparities are some of the most important yet unfortunately overlooked health concerns facing African Americans,” said Reverend Anthony Evans, NBCI president. “NBCI has long fought the battle for equal access to care and high-quality educational platforms for our congregants and their families. We are confident and excited that our partnership with Prevent Blindness will help achieve these goals and improve the health of our communities.”

For more information on the new partnership, or general glaucoma and diabetic eye disease, click here, or call the NBCI at (202) 744-0184 or Prevent Blindness (800) 331-2020.