Help us spread the word about Glaucoma Awareness Month!

January 2023

Dear NEHEP Partners,

We hope your 2023 is off to a great start. Since January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, we’re featuring the latest glaucoma-related resources and events in this month’s Eye Health Connection newsletter. Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States — especially for older adults and Black/African American people. The good news is that people with glaucoma can take steps to help protect their vision. This Glaucoma Awareness Month, please help us spread the word!

We’re also excited to share an update on NEI’s plans for Healthy Vision Month (HVM) in May 2023! This year, NEI aims to promote eye health resources to Spanish-speaking families — raising awareness about steps that parents and caregivers can take to protect their eye health and the eye health of their children and the older adults they support. If you’re interested in partnering with NEI for HVM 2023 and promoting these important messages, please email devina.fan@nih.gov.

Best,

Devina Kuo Fan, M.P.H.

Director, National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP)

National Eye Institute

Spread the word about NEI’s video contest for teens

Know any teens excited about science? As part of its Eye on the Future campaign, NEI is hosting a national video contest to encourage high school students’ interest in science, eye health, and research careers. Winners will receive cash prizes and a paid trip to visit the National Institutes of Health. Check NEI's website for updates and to watch last year’s winning videos.

Check NEI's website

Learn about how vision loss affects older adults

In recognition of Glaucoma Awareness Month, VisionServe Alliance is highlighting findings from their Big Data Project about the broad impact of vision loss among U.S. residents age 65+. The project analyzed statewide data and national reports of people who are blind or have low vision.

Read the findings

Share free monthly Glaucoma Chats with your network

BrightFocus Foundation has partnered with the American Glaucoma Society to launch Glaucoma Chats. During these free monthly telephone conversations, scientists and eye experts share tips for managing life with glaucoma and exciting scientific breakthroughs. The next one — “Tips for Taking Charge of Your Glaucoma Diagnosis” — is on January 11, 2023!

Get the link to share

Check out the Glaucoma Foundation’s educational webinars

The Glaucoma Foundation developed an educational webinar series for eye care providers. The series focuses on research breakthroughs, diagnostic and treatment options, and doctor-patient relationships. In their January 4, 2023 webinar, experts discussed and debunked a variety of lifestyle recommendations for glaucoma.

Watch the latest webinar

Calendar of Events

Explore eye and vision research careers at ARVO’s Advance Conference

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is hosting their annual Advance Conference on February 1 and 2, 2023. This year’s virtual conference will highlight eye and vision research career directions. Sessions will feature experts discussing career opportunities in eye and vision science, career planning, and navigating international career challenges.

Other Events and Resources

January 9–11: The Vision Council will host their annual 2023 Executive Summit in Austin, Texas.

Resource: Prevent Blindness has created the Glaucoma Community — a free mobile app and website to empower people with glaucoma — in partnership with BrightFocus Foundation, Glaucoma Research Foundation, the National Medical Association, and The Glaucoma Foundation.

Resource: Hadley and the American Glaucoma Society have curated a list of workshops to support people with glaucoma.

Resource: The International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in

Ophthalmology (IJCAHPO) has launched a January 2023 webinar series that includes a webinar on visual field testing in glaucoma.

Resource: The Lighthouse Guild hosted and recorded An Evening with Haben Girma, a Deafblind woman who shared her thoughts about advocacy, disability rights, and the ways ableism continues to harm people with disabilities every day.

Resource: The National Institute of Aging has published highlights from their research on sensory decline in older adults and dementia risk.

The Eye Health Connection is a newsletter developed with the input of NEHEP Partners and shared with the community of NEHEP’s 60+ partner organizations. The links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only, they do not constitute an endorsement by the National Eye Institute or its employees.

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