Eye care providers should pledge to support EyeSustain
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Healio | OSN discussed the role of ophthalmology in climate change, plastic pollution, and our individual and professional carbon footprints in the Aug. 10, 2022, issue.
I wrote a perspective titled “Ophthalmologists can make professional, personal changes to help environment.”
I am a long-time member and past president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. I continue to serve on the ASCRS Executive Committee, and EyeSustain was incubated at ASCRS under the direction of my fellow past ASCRS president David F. Chang, MD. In the 19 months since August 2022, no less than 42 ophthalmology societies from around the world have joined EyeSustain. In the U.S., this includes the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society, with more committing to support this critical agenda every month.
EyeSustain has a comprehensive website, and it is worth a visit. Collaborating ophthalmic societies are listed along with more than 70 supportive academic publications.
A few personal thoughts. It is clear to me that climate change or global warming is real and an existential threat, as is plastic pollution. The average global temperature has increased 2°F over the past 200 years and will increase another 2°F by 2050. A third 2°F increase will occur by 2100 with no intervention by we humans, and some experts suggest that level of global warming may result in the extinction of 50% of the species currently living on Earth, plus dangerous climate-related disasters, a rising sea level and life-threatening flooding.
The delivery of health care services is a significant contributor to carbon and plastic pollution in our environment. The purpose of EyeSustain is to contribute to a healthier planet for future generations. The core goal is to reduce surgical waste through surgeon education: reducing surgical pack waste, advocating for multidose delivery of pre- and postsurgical medications, reducing unnecessary intraoperative gowning and draping, and supporting reusable supplies, alcohol surgeon and scrub nurse hand sterilization, and recycling.
Each of us can take a pledge to support EyeSustain on its website. To me, this is a laudable project and worthy of our support.
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