Syphilitic

The South seems to have a disproportionate amount of STDs,
http://www.avert.org/std-statistics-america.htm
And of these Southern states - my area of Texas seems to have a high incidence of Syphilis.

One of the elderly blind women I check in on mentioned that many of the women, with whom she'd worked as a cleaning lady at the local university, were now also suffering from a loss of sight.
One of the women's daughters thought that the cleaning chemicals used on their old job was the cause.
This woman's daughter thought that she could bring some type of suit against the university.

But I talk to these ladies.
These ladies tell stories of hardships and struggles which led many to turn to prostitution as a means to earn a little extra money to better provide for their children.
These women never thought that they could get sick from these acts - but many are now blind and/or on the verge of senility.

Besides the chemicals used in cleaning products - what could cause blindness?
Sex + ? = Blindness.
After reviewing the Syphilis infection rates in or area (which are quite high), I thought that these women had been syphilitic for years but had never been treated.
After taking one of these elderly ladies to her doctor to be tested for STDs, I found out that she was indeed positive for Syphilis.
(She's still blind but she no longer tests positive for the disease.)

But the other ladies were/are too ashamed to get tested.
Their daughters, sons and grandchildren are too ashamed to force them to be tested.
In the end -the fear and ignorance of these women may have been the cause of their current conditions.