Preserve Vision Florida is a statewide non-profit, 501(c)(3) agency established in 1957 by Mildred Baynard of St. Petersburg. Our mission is your vision. Over the years, we have promoted eye health and safety through public awareness campaigns, screened hundreds of thousands of children and adults, and directly assisted them with medical exams and glasses. This work is vitally important because 50 percent of all blindness is preventable.
Our mission is to promote healthy vision through:
- Vision health awareness and education for all ages
- Vision screenings for children and adults
- Assistance to obtain medical eye care
- Advocacy for vision and medical eye care health services
The ability to see well can provide an individual with hope. Linking a person with vision impairment to eye care can change one’s life. The hope offered can be the ability to read, to perform daily tasks, to have gainful employment, to drive an automobile, and to see the face of loved ones. Loss of vision also has a profound impact on our economy and the financial security of families. “At a cost of $139 billion annually, eye disorders and vision loss are among the costliest health conditions currently facing the United States” according to Prevent Blindness America.
Teagan is just one of the thousands of
children helped through your generosity
“to see her bright future”
Key facts about children’s vision:
1 in 4 children enters school with vision loss
Amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (crossed eyes) can cause blindness if untreated by age 10
80 percent of children labeled as “learning disabled” have been found to have a vision problem
During first 12 years, over 80 percent of learning is through their eyes – if children cannot see,
they cannot read or adjust socially
Key vision issues for adults:
Approximately 75 percent of U.S. adult `population uses some type of vision correction
Adult vision health issues:
Cataracts – lens of the eye becomes increasingly cloudy
Diabetic retinopathy – damage to blood vessels due to diabetes
Glaucoma – increased pressure in eye causing gradual loss of sight
Macular Degeneration – blurred or no vision in center of vision field
Preserve Vision Florida answers these threats by providing vision services to some of our most vulnerable children and adults. We are the only organization that provides vision screenings, vision education, prescription glasses, and vision treatment. Among adults, 62 percent of the individuals we have screened have needed medical examinations and glasses; among the homeless, 82 percent have been referred for medical attention and glasses.
More than 60 years of caring for Floridians
Preserve Vision Florida (formerly Prevent Blindness Florida) is a non-profit organization offering more than 60 years of vision education and services to Florida’s children and adults. Our focus is promoting a lifetime of healthy vision care through advocacy, education, screening and research. You can help Preserve Vision Florida through donation when you renew your vehicle registration and driver license. And if you ride a motorcycle, please support Preserve Vision Florida with the Bikers Care specialty tag.
Our mission is to promote healthy vision through:
- vision health awareness and education for all ages
- vision screenings for children and adults
- assistance to obtain medical eye care
- advocacy for vision and medical eye care health services
We are Florida’s Leader in Preserving Sight through these channels:
Screening – Check our Calendar to see locations and times that our staff will be offering services. We screen the eyes of thousands of children and adults each year. Our vision screenings help support the work of optometrists and ophthalmologists. We reach children who depend on good vision for learning, as well as adults threatened by glaucoma and other serious vision problems. Screenings are open to the public without an appointment.
Access to vision services – If further medical help is needed, we assist individuals who could not otherwise afford services through our partnership with physicians and optical retailers.
Education – We create awareness about the importance of vision care for all ages through seminars, vision screening, special events, public service announcements, brochures and our website. Our message is simple… have a regular eye exam.
Advocacy – We work with government officials at the local, state and national levels to make eye health and safety a local as well as national priority. We advocate for sound public policy and adequate funding for initiatives that prevent blindness and preserve sight.
Community Partners:
AAA – The Auto Club Group
Allegany Franciscan Ministries
The Robert S. and Mildred M. Baynard Trust
Bikers Care Alliance
Children’s Board of Hillsborough County
Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
The George and Katharine Cushman Trust
Department of Health of Pinellas County
Duckwall Foundation
Early Childhood Coalition of Hillsborough Co.
Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence –
42 shelters statewide
Florida Department of Health
Florida Department of Highway Safety
Healthy Start of Hillsborough County
Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County
Premier Eye Care
VSP Insurance
Provider Partners:
Eye examinations and eyewear: network of ophthalmologists and optometrists, Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Optical Outlets, Emory Optical, and VSP
