July 2022
Dear NEHEP Partners,

Our goal at NEI is to champion healthy vision and eye health across the lifespan. For children, healthy vision is important for physical development, success in school, and overall well-being.

As we gear up for Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month in August, we wanted to connect you to eye health resources that keep kids in mind. It’s also the perfect time for a reminder to check out and share our kid-friendly website, NEI for Kids!

Best,
Devina Kuo Fan, M.P.H.
Director, National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP)
National Eye Institute

Check out the next generation of scientists
We’re excited to announce the winners of our Eye on the Future video contest! NEI received over 40 submissions from teens describing research discoveries or the impact they want to make on the world of science. The winners will have a chance to visit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus with NEI researchers later this month!
Hear the latest perspectives on vision health
In May, NEI partnered with the Children’s Vision Equity Alliance, Prevent Blindness, and BlackDoctor.org to kick off an interview series on vision and eye health called Seeing Eye to Eye. Interviews will take place monthly and continue through 2022. Make sure to stay up to date by following NEI on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!
Help young people who are blind or have low vision
The team at Mississippi State University’s National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision created the 4to24 mobile app for young people who are blind or have low vision and their parents or caregivers. The app focuses on steps to prepare for employment and independent living. A version for parents of young people with deaf-blindness and additional disabilities is also available.
Share resources for retinal diseases
The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) created new patient education resources — also available in Spanish — for people who may be at risk for retinal diseases. This includes infographics on conditions like diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — and patient guides that cover common concerns.
Calendar of Events
Join the Annual Continuing Education Program
The International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (IJCAHPO) is hosting its 50th Annual Continuing Education (ACE) program in Chicago from September 30 to October 2. NEI Director Michael F. Chiang, M.D., will deliver the Harold A. Stein lecture on Sunday, October 2 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. CT. This lecture is free, and attendees can earn up to 21 IJCAHPO continuing education credits.
Other Events and Resources
Resource: The Society for Women’s Health Research has recommendations for addressing gaps in women’s eye health care from adolescence onward in this blog post.
Resource: Mississippi State University’s National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision has a webinar and podcast series, titled Employee Insights. This series focuses on improving employment outcomes for people with low vision or blindness.
July 13 to 14, 2022: The Focus on Eye Health National Summit is a free and interactive virtual event hosted by Prevent Blindness. This year the theme is “Eye-conic Approaches to Eye Health,” and it will bring together diverse stakeholders from the vision and eye health community to spark a national conversation about population health trends and topics.
July 14, 2022: Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez from Salud America! is hosting a webinar at the Focus on Eye Health National Summit at 2:45 p.m. ET. Titled A New Vision for Reaching Latinos for Systemic and Behavioral Change, the webinar will explore the causes of health disparities affecting Latino communities — including disparities in eye health, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and more.
July 26, 2022: The Glaucoma Foundation will a host a webinar at 5:00 p.m. ET called Navigating the Psycho/Social Aspects of Glaucoma. Hosted by a clinical psychologist and a real-life glaucoma patient, this event will drill down into important questions about living with glaucoma.
Resource: In a recent Q&A from the Glaucoma Foundation, a doctor answers a patient’s question about a link between glaucoma and heart disease or blood vessel problems.
Resource: The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) has an open-access journal called Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. The June issue showcases a range of innovative research featured at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, which focused on accelerating discovery through team science.
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