According to Research to Prevent Blindness, there are 15 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States. Every seven minutes, a person in the United States loses their sight, often due to aging.
There are many causes of blindness, such as the following:
• Cataracts: Cataracts are a clouding of the eye's lens, which blocks the passage of light through the eyes. Some are born with the condition but most of the time, they occur with age.
• Glaucoma: About one in every seven or eight cases of blindness are due to this condition, which occurs when the clear fluid inside the front part of the eye does not drain properly and pressure builds up. Early symptoms of glaucoma include blurred vision, halos surrounding light, and impaired side vision.
• Macular degeneration: This condition occurs when the retina starts to degenerate. It can happen gradually or fast.
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Blind Marching Band
An inspiring story of a band that will make history in 2010.
 
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Roughly 1.5 million children in the world are blind. One million live in Asia and about 300,000 live in Africa.
According to the World Health Organization, the leading cause of preventable blindness in children is vitamin A deficiency. It's a public health crisis in more than half of all countries.
Other causes of childhood blindness include measles, conjunctivitis in newborns, congenital cataract, and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
In 2005, the Ohio School for the Deaf formed the first blind marching band in the country, possibly even the world. A neighboring football team was searching for a band to perform at its games.
On New Year's Day, 2010, the band will make history when they march in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., an annual event in conjunction with the Rose Bowl football game that features flower-only floats. It will be the first time a blind band will march.
The parade is six miles long and will take two hours to complete. According to Carol Agler, the band's music director, the school needs to raise about $1,500 for each person's travel costs, which includes about 17 band members and several alumni.
