EyeCare America, a public service programme of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), has launched a free eye exam initiative through-out the US and Puerto Rico for people aged 65 or older. The programme, supported by volunteer ophthalmologists and coinciding with the AAO’s month long awareness campaign, “Diabetic Eye Care Awareness Month”, aims to highlight the challenges associated with caring for a projected 37 million US citizens with diabetes by 2015. The World Health organization (WHO) estimates that after 15 years of diabetes approximately 2% of patients become blind and approximately 10% develop severe visual impairment.