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Report calls for transformation of eye and vision health initiatives
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Nearly 16 million Americans are living with vision impairment that is undiagnosed or untreated because eye and vision health lags in priority in the United States, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The 450-page report, based on 2 years of analysis, recommends a nationwide call to action from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in an attempt to reduce or eliminate correctable and avoidable vision impairment by 2030, as well as delay onset and progression of unavoidable chronic eye disease, minimize the impact of chronic vision impairment, and increase eye care and vision health services in underserved populations, according to a synopsis of the report.
Sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Optometry, American Optometric Association, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health, National Eye Institute, Prevent Blindness, and Research to Prevent Blindness, the report includes nine recommendations to improve eye and vision health and increase health equity.
The recommendations fall under the categories of facilitating public awareness through timely access to accurate and locally relevant information; generating evidence to guide policy decisions and evidence-based actions; expanding access to appropriate clinical care; enhancing public health capacities to support vision-related activities; and promoting community actions that encourage eye- and vision-healthy environments.
David W. Parke II, MD, CEO of the AAO, called the report a “landmark moment in public health in America,” according to a press release from the organization.
“The action plan outlined by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine draws upon and echoes much of the evidence-based work we are already leading on behalf of the nation’s community of eye physicians and surgeons to protect the sight and empower the lives of our patients through innovative advances in care and education,” he said in the release.
The NEI echoed the sentiments in its own press release, commending the panel for its “thorough and thoughtful investigation and its insightful recommendations.”
Reference:
Recommendations: Making eye health a population health imperative: vision for tomorrow. https://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2016/Vision_Recs.pdf. Published September 2016.