Community news from around the area
Church receives new pastor
WINTERSVILLE — Colonial Baptist Temple, located at 201 Gumps Lane in Wintersville, is being led under the church’s new pastor, the Rev. Ryan Hysell.
The community is invited to attend services at the church, which take place at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays and at 6:30 p.m. noon Wednesdays.
Sunday school is held at 10 a.m. Sundays.
Officials announced that all are welcome to visit the church to learn more about all that it offers to the community. For information, contact the church at (740) 266-4949.
Glaucoma information available
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Those with Prevent Blindness Ohio have joined the effort to provide patients, care partners and professionals with free educational resources on the eye disease, which causes loss of sight by damaging a part of the eye known as the optic nerve. When glaucoma damages the optic nerve, patches of vision are lost — usually peripheral vision. Treatment cannot reverse damage that has already occurred, according to officials. However, it can prevent further vision loss.
Prevent Blindness Ohio offers a vast collection of free resources, including downloadable fact sheets, a listing of glaucoma financial assistance resources, shareable social media graphics and a dedicated webpage.
Because eye drops are often prescribed for glaucoma patients, Prevent Blindness Ohio has informative resources on how to take eye drops effectively, including a downloadable fact sheet in English and Spanish, a demonstration video and a web page. These can be found online at PreventBlindness.org.
“Glaucoma can cause significant vision loss if left untreated. The good news is that with early detection, access to eye care, and the proper treatment, vision can be protected,” said Amy Pulles, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness Ohio. “Our various glaucoma resources are offered free to the public and professionals to help empower patients with the information needed to work with their eye care professional to help protect vision from the ‘sneak thief of sight.'”
A 2022 study found that approximately 4.22 million people in the United States have glaucoma. Approximately 1.49 million have vision-affecting glaucoma, according to data which showed a substantial variation in prevalence across demographic subgroups, states and counties during that year.
To help support the dissemination of the study’s findings, Prevent Blindness created social media graphics and a web page which can be found online at preventblindness.org/glaucoma-prevalence.
Officials announced a video series supporting this work and glaucoma awareness has been launched, featuring two episodes. “Why is it Important to Know How Many People Have Glaucoma?” is the topic addressed by Dr. Shervonne Poleon; and “What Can Help People at Risk for Glaucoma?” is addressed by Mitzi Swift, the clinical research coordinator for the UAB Department of ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Additional series videos will debut throughout the month. Prevent Blindness Ohio and Responsum Health are offering the free program “The Glaucoma Community,” as a comprehensive platform that is available in multiple languages. The program provides educational glaucoma content, a personalized newsfeed and the moderated “community chat.”
“The Glaucoma Community” is available through a web browser or in the mobile app for Apple or Android users. Members are encouraged to join the Facebook group as well.
For information or materials on glaucoma, visit PreventBlindness.org/glaucoma, call (800) 301-2020 or visit pbohio.org.