Why Support Us

Fast Facts

• About 50,000 people in Oklahoma are legally blind and more than 500,000 people suffer from some sort of age related eye disease – macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and congenital cataracts -  that will result in vision loss or blindness.
• That’s over 10% of Oklahoma’s population, or, enough to fill OU’s Gaylord Memorial stadium six times!
• To bring this even closer to home, if 10 people are sitting at a table, 1 or 2 will be impacted in the future by some level of significant vision loss– a sobering thought!
• For a staggering number of people, the inability to cope with vision loss leaves them at greater risk for depression, injury, accidents, inability to work and social isolation.  The potential for a vision loss epidemic is alarming s as the Baby Boomers have reached middle age, which is when most are diagnosed with vision problems.
• Based on our current financial resources, New View Oklahoma is currently able to serve only 2% of the blind and visually impaired population in Oklahoma or about 1,000 clients.
• The initial cost of assessing and providing emergency services to a client experiencing vision loss who does not where to turn for help in regaining their independence is about $500 per person per year.  
• If we could provide these basic survival skills to even 20% of our target audience – that’s about 20,000 people – at $500 per person, we’re looking at a $10 million cost annually. 
• And for every client we serve, we also have an effect on each member of the extended family – potentially a half a million people.