Everyday we see health-related social media campaigns popping up on our newsfeed, which are really making an impact by helping more and more health organizations spread the word about diseases that many don’t know much about–unless they’re personally affected. The Foundation Fighting Blindness recently launched their #HowEyeSeeIt campaign, which is their first social media initiative aimed at elevating awareness and accelerating research funding for retinal degenerative diseases.
What Are Retinal Degenerative Diseases?
According to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, retinal degenerative diseases are diseases that affect your vision, they are inherited diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and Leber congenital amaurosis. These diseases are caused by genetic mutations that are inherited by one or both parents. People who have these gene mutations have limited or no vision because the photoreceptor cells in the eye aren’t working properly or not working at all. These diseases affect more than 10 million Americans and millions worldwide, even though some of these diseases are very rare affecting 100,000 people or less, which makes it even more difficult for them to seek any type of treatment.
