Volume 9, Issue 26│July 11, 2025 | | | |
Only 20 days remaining to submit a nomination, all submissions are due July 31, 2025!
Click below for more information or to submit a nomination:
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Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes Program Assesses 190 Athletes at the Illinois State Summer Games
By Christine Allison, O.D.
On Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st the 22nd annual Lions Club International Opening Eyes vision screening was held at the Special Olympics Illinois State Summer Games in Bloomington/Normal. 12 optometrists, 11 Optometry students, 5 Lions club members, 1 optician, 3 optometric technicians, and 10 other volunteers participated and made the program a great success. 190 athletes completed the vision assessment with 130 pairs of prescription eyewear prescribed and distributed!
The Lions Club International Foundation and the Golisano Foundation provided the funding for this event, Essilor donated all lenses, Safilo donated frames and Sunwear, and Liberty Optical donated sports goggles. Good-Lite provided illuminated Visual Acuity Charts and other equipment to use on site, and Bernell also provided other equipment that we used on-site! A huge thank you goes out to all the Sponsors!
We would like to thank all who volunteered their time to make this program a great success and to all our sponsors who donated equipment and frames. We hope more optometrists and optometric assistants will be available to help next year!!
There will also be one more Opening Eyes screening event this year, the Illinois Special Olympics Medfest, which will be held in the fall on Wednesday, Nov 5th at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Please contact Melissa Sigler, O.D. at siglerfamilyeye@att.net if you are interested in participating in this great event!
Please contact Christine Allison, O.D., the Clinical Director for the Illinois Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes Program, at callison@ico.edu if you have any questions regarding next year’s program at the Special Olympics Illinois State Summer Games.
Our Optometrists:
Christine Allison, O.D.
Melissa Sigler, O.D.
Angela Oberreiter, OD
Evelyn Moore, O.D.
Geoffrey Goodfellow, O.D.
Cindy Dang, O.D.
Jannice Doan, O.D.
Shannon Carmo, O.D.
Samantha Rice, O.D.
Reneta Simeon, O.D.
Darren Koenig, OD
Luma Mallah, O.D.
Opticians/Para-optometric Techs:
Temetrice Rhea
Elizabeth Wagner
Lani Derossett
Karina Doran
Thanks again to all our volunteers!!!!
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Duly Health and Care Grant Improves Access to Eye Care for Illinois Patients
Midwestern University | By Staff
July 8, 2025
Vision problems, when left untreated, can profoundly affect a person’s quality of life, leading to difficulty reading, working, or even safely navigating daily tasks. Yet, for those without insurance or financial resources, routine eye care and necessary treatments can be difficult to access.
A Lifeline for Patients in Need
Since 2019, the Duly Health and Care Charitable Fund has awarded an annual $5,000 grant to Midwestern University’s Eye Institute in Downers Grove, Illinois. The grant is specifically designed to help patients who are uninsured or facing financial hardship receive critical vision care and follow-up services.
“The Charitable Fund at Duly is dedicated to improving vision health for community members who may lack the financial means to access necessary care," said Dustin Wilson, Duly Charitable Fund Manager. "We believe that clear vision is not only essential for overall health but also crucial for success in education, employment, and daily life.”
Direct Impact on Patient Care
The grant helps expand services to an additional 40 to 50 patients each year, covering diagnostic testing and follow-up care that may not be included in other financial assistance programs.
“The Duly grant offers us flexibility,” said Jenelle Mallios, O.D., FAAO, Associate Dean of the Chicago College of Optometry. “It complements the University’s Patient Financial Assistance Program, which primarily covers exams, by allowing us to fund additional testing and services essential to comprehensive care.”
Many patients served by the grant are managing chronic conditions like diabetes. Without early detection and treatment, conditions like diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the U.S., can progress undetected.
“Many individuals we serve as part of the grant delay eye care due to financial challenges, which can have serious consequences,” said Allison Foster, M.B.A., Clinic Manager of the Eye Institute.
Vision Care as Preventive Health
Beyond helping patients see clearly, vision exams can reveal systemic health issues.
“From a One Health perspective, vision care is about far more than eyesight,” Dr. Mallios noted. “The retina is the only place in the body where veins and arteries can be seen without surgery. We can detect conditions like diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and heart disease, and refer patients to specialists.”
Supporting Future Healthcare Providers
The benefits of the Duly grant extend to Midwestern University's students, too. A larger and more diverse patient base enhances clinical education for optometry students, who gain experience diagnosing and managing a wide range of conditions.
“Duly supports the education of future healthcare professionals because they are the foundation of a healthier future,” Mr. Wilson said. “By investing in their development, we’re building a sustainable pipeline of skilled, compassionate providers.”
Lasting Impact on Patients
To date, the grant has supported vision care for more than 200 patients. Feedback from those served underscores the grant’s life-changing impact:
“I can now see since I was provided glasses at my visit,” shared one patient. “I had never realized how badly I needed glasses until I went for my diabetic eye exam.”
Another patient added, “I was very concerned because I believed I was going blind. The MWU Eye Institute helped me regain peace of mind. My prescription was outdated and likely contributing to my migraines. I’m so grateful.”
Looking Ahead
Both Duly Health and Care and Midwestern University are optimistic about the future of this partnership.
“The work accomplished through the grant has been incredibly impactful,” said Mr. Wilson. “It’s inspiring to see how the grant has enabled tangible changes.”
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NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: Children's Vision Form
The IOA Public Health Committee developed the children's vision form as an efficient way to communicate examination findings to pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners. The form contains treatment options and plans that are more relevant to modern pediatric optometry practice.
To make it user-friendly, we have both a printable option and a fillable PDF available below. We want to encourage all IOA members who see pediatric patients to consider sending this form, even with normal examination findings. This lets local providers know that a member not only sees pediatric patients but will also share information about ongoing care and treatment plans.
| | The Eyes on Tomorrow Fund, previously known as the Legislative Equity Fund, is a dedicated resource created by and for optometrists to support the Illinois Optometric Association’s (IOA) state-level advocacy efforts. This fund directly empowers optometry’s fight for scope expansion, the regulation of Vision Benefits Managers (VBMs), and other legislative battles crucial to protecting the profession and ensuring patient care. Unlike political action committees (PACs), this fund is not used to support candidates but instead provides critical resources for advancing optometry in Illinois. | | |
The PAC (Political Action Committee) is a group organized to promote its members' views on selected issues, usually through raising money that is contributed to the campaign funds of candidates who support the group's position to keep our friends in office. Now more than ever, we need strong, principled leaders who will fight for equal rights, and access to essential services —Will you pitch in today to help us protect our profession and the patients we serve?
Contributions to the IOA PAC can be made as a One-Time Donation or as Recurring Monthly Donation and deducted automatically from donor's bank account or charged to their credit card. Selecting to contribute a set amount on a monthly basis is a painless and effortless way to contribute to and support the IOA PAC. Contributions to the IOA PAC fund are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
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We want to hear from YOU!
Do you have a business question or a dilemma we can answer for you? Others may have the same inquiry. Ask away! We will answer your question in an upcoming issue.
(Don't worry, we won't include your name.)
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Eye care practitioners should report all violations of the FCLCA, including instances in which contact lens sellers fail to comply with the prescription verification provisions of the law.
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How To Showcase Your Optometric Practice in a Job Listing
There’s a job opening for an OD at your practice and it’s time to write the job listing. You’ve explained the duties, location and benefits. However, there is one key element that is often overlooked when creating a job listing: showcasing your practice. Describing your practice itself is a terrific selling point that will help candidates visualize what working at your practice will be like. Here are tips for effectively showcasing your practice:
· Celebrate your practice—Describe what makes your practice unique. Talk about the gratification of working with your patients. Be sure to mention new equipment and upgrades.
· Describe the culture—Personality counts. Be sure to highlight that your office is a fun place to work, and mention any team-building or recreational events that are popular with your employees. Include any mission statement or values that your practice has, as well.
· Highlight your practice’s community— For many candidates, finding the right opportunity also means a significant move for their family. Consider including information about what makes your community wonderful and why people enjoy living there.
· Show your appreciation—Everyone likes to know that their efforts are appreciated. Convey that your practice values the staff’s hard work and dedication. Note if you have an employee of the month award or a recognition program.
Remember that a job listing is your first and best opportunity to showcase your practice to potential candidates. Providing a clear picture of your practice will attract candidates that are a great fit and are enthusiastic to apply.
The AOAExcel Career Center allows employers and recruiters to share open positions with qualified doctors of optometry nationwide. Learn more about posting a position and how you can save 50% on listings.
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VM's 2025 Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers
Vision Monday | By Staff
June 18, 2025
Shifting trends in consumer spending, technological advancements evolving at the speed of light, and finding creative new ways to attract, grow and retain teams were just some of the challenges that eyecare professionals and optical retailers took on in 2024. Taking a look at the 2025 VM Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers report (which is based on calendar year 2024 locations and sales provided by companies, along with VM’s estimates), you will see that acquisitions continued in 2024 among this top group of retailers, with many also saying they took a closer, more purposeful look COVER TOPIC at operational efficiencies, while investments that focused on artificial intelligence and telehealth expansion continued to gain heavy traction.
With budget-conscious purchasing patterns emerging among consumers in 2024, retailers among the Top 50 also prioritized providing an enhanced customer experience while offering patients more affordable eyewear and eyecare options. In an effort to strengthen staff retention, several retailers in this year’s Top 50 told VM they remained focused on investing in staff by offering training and education, and prioritizing upgrades to infrastructure. Enhanced transformational and operational excellence efforts were also prioritized. Developing a strong partnership among opticians, field teams, and ODs was also mentioned by retailers as an important tool in creating an enhanced patient experience.
With these efforts in mind, 2024 kept on trend for the industry and saw organic growth, including new store and office openings, among the Top 50 retailers. The collective sales of VM’s Top 50 U.S. Retailers rose 4 percent in 2024 compared with 2023, to reach an estimated $20,970.9 million from 16,471 locations. The Top 10 retailers accounted for 84.6 percent of overall Top 50 sales.
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New Data Finds Increased Prevalence of Refractive Surgery Among Cataract Patients
Eyes On Glance| By Sanjana Bhattacharya
June 2, 2025
A recent study published in Scientific Reports evaluated changes in the demographic and ocular biometric characteristics of cataract patients over the past decade to identify trends that may impact cataract surgery and design / selection of intraocular lenses (IOLs).
Give me some background.
As the leading cause of blindness, cataracts are a major public health concern worldwide—particularly because the number of individuals with cataracts is expected to rise as the global population ages.
Meaning: A growing proportion of individuals undergoing cataract surgery have a history of high myopia and refractive surgery.
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And: Refractive surgery can alter ocular morphology, requiring changes in power calculations for selecting an IOL.
Any previous studies on this?
The same research team of this clinical study performed a similar study in a cohort of patients aged 50+ who underwent cataract surgery at the same institution (listed below) between November 2011 and August 2014.
- Note: This initial study was the first hospital-based population study of ocular biometric characteristics of cataract patients aged 50+ from western China.
The key finding: A high prevalence of severe axial myopia (13.66% of patients with axial length [AL] > 26.5 mm), which the authors noted required further investigation.
Now, talk about this new research.
In this retrospective study, investigators analyzed clinicodemographic and ocular biometric data from swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) for 25,192 eyes of 25,192 patients aged 40+ who underwent cataract surgery.
When and where: Between 2020 and 2023 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China.
Findings?
As patient age increased, the following characteristics tended to decrease:
- AL
- Anterior chamber depth (ACD)
- Aqueous depth (AQD)
- White-to-white (WTW)
Conversely: With age, corneal refractive power and lens thickness tended to increase.
In addition: Investigators reported trends in eyes that had undergone refractive surgery, such as:
- Deeper ACD
- Deeper AQD
- Thinner lenses
- Longer WTW
Tell me more.
In the study sample, 19.66% of patients had axial lengths > 26 mm and 1.72% had a history of refractive surgery—with the incidence of refractive surgery increasing significantly from 2020 to 2023 (1.31% to 1.99%, respectively).
For patients who had undergone refractive surgery, most underwent laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK, 46.23%) or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK, 31.60%).
Compared to patients without a history of refractive surgery, those with such a history were on average 12 years younger.
- Further: A larger proportion of individuals had axial lengths > 26 mm or corneal refractive power below 38 diopters (D).
Expert opinion?
“Our analysis of anterior / posterior (A / P) ratio in this cohort was consistent with the fact that PRK and LASIK increase the curvature radio of the anterior corneal surface much more than the curvature radius of the posterior surface,” the study authors explained.
Meaning: Clinicians must take into account these effects of previous refractive surgery because they may render IOL calculations inaccurate.
Limitations?
These included:
- The patient population came from a large geographic area in southwest China, which may not be entirely representative of populations elsewhere in China or in the world
- The age inclusion criteria differed between the cohorts of the two studies led by this research team (≥ 40 years in the 2020s cohort vs. ≥ 50 years in the 2010s cohort), so comparisons should be performed and interpreted with caution
Tie it all together for me.
These findings suggest that the frequencies of high myopia and of previous refractive surgery among cataract patients increased between the 2010s and the 2020s.
- At the same time: The age of cataract patients at the time of surgery decreased during this time period.
The study authors noted that these changes in ocular and demographic characteristics may require updates in:
- Preparations prior to cataract surgery
- Procedures during surgery
- Management after surgery
- Design and selection of IOLs
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Cannabis Use Linked to Fewer Complications After Retinal Detachment Surgery
MedPage Today | By Randy Dotinga
July 3, 2025
For patients who had undergone retinal detachment repair, use of cannabis was associated with reduced risks of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and subsequent complex repair, a retrospective cohort study suggested.
In a matched comparison of patients with retinal detachment repaired by any method, those with concomitant cannabis use had a reduced risk of postoperative complications versus controls at 6 months:
- Development of subsequent PVR: 2.10% vs 4.36% (relative risk [RR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.30-0.77, P=0.002)
- Need for complex retinal detachment repair: 3.10% vs 5.03% (RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41-0.92, P=0.02)
Similar results were observed at 1 year, wrote Ehsan Rahimy, MD, of Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and colleagues in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Of note, the actual absolute risk reduction was low (approximately 2%) in both PVR development and complex repair.
"It's not yet clear how clinically meaningful this data is and whether these associations can be attributed to cannabis itself or the population using it," co-author Ahmed M. Alshaikhsalama, MD, of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, told MedPage Today.
Though "it is well known that tobacco use is a risk factor for PVR development, we didn't really have insight on counseling patients using cannabis," he said. "This is surprising given it's the third most actively used substance globally."
"There has been some evidence that cannabis can help prevent scarring through anti-inflammatory mechanisms in patients with psoriasis and similar disorders," he added. "We were interested to see if this could apply to PVR."
PVR is the leading cause of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair failure, affecting up to 10% of cases, the authors noted. "Despite modern surgical advances in instrumentation and technique, PVR continues to pose a major risk during the postoperative period," they wrote, adding that various interventions including antifibroblastic, antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anticoagulant agents "have been explored over the years, with inconsistent efficacy and safety concerns across human studies."
They pointed out that "the anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and antifibrotic effects of cannabis may help explain the lower PVR rate observed in this study."
In an accompanying commentary, Jonathan D. Groothoff, MA, and Sally S. Ong, MD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, cautioned that "despite the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis and its derivatives, consideration should be given to the challenges associated with their clinical use."
"Cannabis use has been linked to an increased risk of cardiopulmonary disease and psychiatric conditions such as psychosis, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation," they wrote.
However, despite these limitations, this study "offers potentially novel clinical evidence in support of existing research that highlights the possible anti-inflammatory effects of cannabis," they concluded. While additional work is needed, "such a therapeutic option would be a game changer for retina specialists and their patients in optimizing outcomes after [rhegmatogenous retinal detachment] repair."
For this study, Rahimy and colleagues used data from electronic health records for patients who underwent initial retinal detachment repair with pars plana vitrectomy with or without scleral buckle, primary scleral buckle, or pneumatic retinopexy from February 2005 to February 2025.
After propensity score matching, each cohort included 1,193 patients. Mean age was 53.2, 69.7% were men, and the majority were white.
The authors noted that "confounders may account for all the observed associations. Future prospective studies are required to further clarify and characterize the effect of long-term cannabis use on PVR development and management."
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State Sen. Simmons Joins Congressional Race
Evanston Now | By Matthew Eadie
July 8, 2025
That makes it a baker’s dozen.
State Sen. Mike Simmons of Rogers Park announced Tuesday he’ll join the crowded field seeking to represent the 9th District in Congress.
Simmons is the first LGBTQ+ member of the Illinois Senate.
The other candidates are State Rep. Hoan Huynh, State Sen. Laura Fine, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, social media content creator Kat Abughazaleh, Skokie School Board member Bushra Amiwala, Howard Rosenblum, Miracle Jenkins, Justin Ford, Bruce Leon, Lauren Million and Bethany Johnson.
The race to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston and be just the third representative for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District since 1965, quickly became crowded after Schakowsky announced in May that she’d retire at the end of the term.
Abughazaleh was the only candidate to announce before Schakowsky said she was retiring.
Simmons has been speculated as a potential candidate, fueled by his attendance at a candidate forum late last month.
“I don’t look like the typical member of Congress,” Simmons said in his launch video. “I symbolize everything Donald Trump is trying to erase.”
The 42-year-old senator attended Amherst College, graduating in 2006 with a degree in political science. He was an intern for then-Senator Barack Obama and later a legislative aide for Sen. Dick Durbin in Washington.
He worked as the deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development before starting an anti-racist public policy organization and later working as the deputy director of an organization that’s part of the Obama Foundation.
He was appointed to the Illinois Senate to replace Heather Steans in 2021, before winning reelection in 2022 and 2024.
Simmons was born and raised in public housing in Lincoln Square, to a mother who ran a hair salon and a father who immigrated from Ethiopia, and he said his “multi-generational household was one of the first Black families to integrate the neighborhood.”
Simmons filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday morning, officially entering the contest.
Simmons isn’t up for reelection until 2028 and could retain his seat in Springfield should he not get the Democratic nomination when voters go to the polls on March 17.
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Pritzker Signs Health Care Legislation
Capitol News Illinois | By Peter Hancock
June 1, 2025
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of health care-related bills Tuesday that he said would put more controls on the pricing of pharmaceutical drugs sold through insurance plans while expanding insurance coverage for certain kinds of hospital costs.
“For too long our health care system has been infected by profit-seeking middlemen and predatory actors looking to make an extra dime at the expense of Illinois patients,” Pritzker said at a bill signing ceremony in Peoria. “Seniors have been forced to pay through the nose for life-saving medications. Families have had to delay or decline medically necessary treatments because they can’t afford it anymore. And family businesses like independent pharmacies have had to shut their doors.”
House Bill 1697, known as the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, will impose new restrictions on practices of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, a powerful but little-understood segment of the pharmaceutical industry.
PBMs are companies that act as a kind of middleman between health insurance plans and pharmaceutical companies by negotiating drug prices and designing drug formularies that are intended to steer patients toward lower-cost medications.
But they have come under intense criticism in recent years for steering patients toward their own affiliated retail chain pharmacies, often to the detriment of smaller independent pharmacies, and for operating pricing systems that are designed to maximize profits for the PBMs rather than producing savings for patients.
Under the legislation, PBMs will be prohibited from steering consumers toward large pharmacies in which they have a financial interest. They will also be prohibited from engaging in “spread pricing” – the practice of charging health plans a higher price for a drug than the PBM pays a pharmacy for dispensing the drug.
The bill also establishes a grant program that will distribute $25 million a year in financial support for independent pharmacies, funded through a tax levied on PBMs operating in Illinois.
David Bagot, an independent pharmacist from Petersburg who is also president of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, called the bill “landmark legislation” that he predicted would be studied and replicated in other states.
“This bill represents the most comprehensive reform of pharmacy benefit managers we have seen in Illinois,” he said. “For far too long, these companies have used our nation’s drug supply chain to benefit shareholders and executives while driving up costs for people who rely on medications and driving pharmacies out of business.”
But the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the lobbying organization that represents PBMs, called the bill “misguided legislation” and predicted it would have little or no impact on the prices consumers pay for medications.
“Unfortunately, the legislation does nothing to address the fact that Big Pharma sets the price of the prescription drugs – and the price is the problem when it comes to some Illinoisans facing difficulty affording their prescription drugs,” the group said in a statement. “Lawmakers have passed 20 bills regulating and restricting PBMs since 2016, none of which have led to lower drug prices.”
Insurance coverage expansion
Pritzker also signed House Bill 3019, known as the Healthcare Protection Expansion Act.
Among other things, it prohibits state-regulated health plans from requiring prior authorization for outpatient mental health services. Last year, lawmakers imposed a similar prohibition for inpatient and emergency mental health services.
It also requires insurance plans to cover a patient’s travel-related expenses whenever they have to travel long distances to receive in-network care, a problem often faced by patients who live in rural areas of the state.
“Building on protections that make mental health care accessible for all Illinois residents, this law gives people more opportunities and flexibility to receive necessary services,” state Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, a lead sponsor of the bill, said in a statement.
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Trump Tax Bill Could Close Nine Illinois Hospitals, Health Care Advocates Warn
— Chicago safety net hospitals — those that have 70% Medicaid utilization — also will be hit hard, according to SEIU Healthcare, which represents more than 91,000 health care workers in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri.
Chicago Suntimes | By Tina Sfondeles
June 3, 2025
With the U.S. House securing the passage of President Donald Trump’s landmark tax bill, health care advocates and Illinoisans are sorting out the sprawling impacts of a measure that could shutter nine hospitals in the state, kick more than 427,000 off food assistance plans and more than 500,000 low-income residents off health care coverage.
The House on Thursday delivered Trump one of his most consequential second term victories in passing the measure that will knock more than 11 million Americans off health insurance within the next decade to help offset $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. Trump planned to celebrate its passage with a bill signing on the Fourth of July.
Unions and advocates for Illinois hospitals warn that hospitals will close due to the legislation.
SEIU Healthcare, which represents more than 91,000 health care workers in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, says Chicago’s safety net hospitals — hospitals that have at least 70% Medicaid utilization — will be hit hard.
When Medicaid work requirements kick in at the end of 2026, program enrollment will go down and the need for charity care will increase. Safety net hospitals will lose their critical Medicaid reimbursement payments, all while caring for more uninsured patients. They’re also at risk of closure, and health care employees are also in danger of losing their jobs if their services are reduced, the union said.
The union is now switching efforts from educating members about the bill to working with the state to try to find new revenue to offset the bill’s cuts and continuing a larger discussion about how Illinois can operate under this new healthcare landscape.
SEIU is also planning to keep the cuts front and center — especially ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Much of the changes are earmarked for 2026 and 2028, meaning voters may not immediately feel the impacts of the consequential bill.
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American Kids Have Become Increasingly Unhealthy Over Nearly Two Decades, New Study Finds
Associated Press | By Laura Ungar and Jonel Aleccia
July 7, 2025
The health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression, a new study says.
Much of what researchers found was already known, but the study paints a comprehensive picture by examining various aspects of children’s physical and mental health at the same time.
“The surprising part of the study wasn’t any with any single statistic; it was that there’s 170 indicators, eight data sources, all showing the same thing: a generalized decline in kids’ health,” said Dr. Christopher Forrest, one of the authors of the study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought children's health to the forefront of the national policy conversation, unveiling in May a much-anticipated “Make America Healthy Again” report that described kids as undernourished and overmedicated, and raised concerns about their lack of physical activity. But the Trump administration's actions — including cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid and scientific research — are not likely to reverse the trend, according to outside experts who reviewed Monday’s study.
“The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be, not as good as the other countries, and the current policies of this administration are definitely going to make it worse,” said Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children's Hospital and UW Medicine in Seattle. He co-authored an editorial accompanying the new study.
Forrest and his colleagues analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems and international mortality statistics. Among their findings:
— Obesity rates for U.S. children 2-19 years old rose from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023.
— A U.S. child in 2023 was 15% to 20% more likely than a U.S. child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression or sleep apnea, according to data reported by parents and doctors.
— Annual prevalence rates for 97 chronic conditions recorded by doctors rose from about 40% in 2011 to about 46% in 2023.
— Early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms and loneliness also increased among American kids during the study period.
— American children were around 1.8 times more likely to die than kids in other high-income countries from 2007-2022. Being born premature and sudden unexpected death were much higher among U.S. infants, and firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes were much more common among 1-19-year-old American kids than among those the same age in other countries examined.
The research points to bigger problems with America’s health, said Forrest, who is a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Kids are the canaries in the coal mine,” he said. “ When kids’ health changes, it’s because they’re at increased vulnerability, and it reflects what’s happening in society at large.”
The timing of the study, he said, is “completely fortuitous." Well before the 2024 presidential election, Forrest was working on a book about thriving over the life span and couldn’t find this sort of comprehensive data on children’s health.
The datasets analyzed have some limitations and may not be applicable to the full U.S. population, noted Dr. James Perrin, a pediatrician and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who wasn't involved in the study.
“The basic finding is true,” he said.
The editorial published alongside the study said while the administration's MAHA movement is bringing welcome attention to chronic diseases, "it is pursuing other policies that will work against the interests of children.” Those include eliminating injury prevention and maternal health programs, canceling investments in a campaign addressing sudden infant death and “fueling vaccine hesitancy among parents that may lead to a resurgence of deadly vaccine-preventable diseases," authors wrote.
Officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Forrest said risks highlighted by the MAHA report, such as eating too much ultra-processed food, are real but miss the complex reality driving trends in children's health.
“We have to step back and take some lessons from the ecological sustainability community and say: Let’s look at the ecosystem that kids are growing up in. And let’s start on a kind of neighborhood-by-neighborhood, city-by-city basis, examining it,” he said.
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
ODs Wanted:
Northern IL:
Morrison IL Practice Seeking Part-time OD (Read more)
Small, Private Practice in Morris, IL seeking Part-time OD (Read more)
OD Needed for Summer Maternity Leave (Read more)
Full or Part time OD Needed in Multi-Location Practice (Read more)
Full-Time or Part-Time OD Needed in Hodgkins (Read more)
Optometrist Needed in Chicago Suburbs (Read more)
Full-time or Part-time Associate OD Needed (Read more)
Seeking OD for Part time, 1-4 Permanent Days or FILL in Only, Summer Fill in Days (Read more)
Optometrist Needed Part-time / Full-time Private Practice (Read more)
Central IL:
OD Needed in Springfield IL (Read more)
Join the Community Eye Care Family (Read more)
Optometrist Needed in the Peoria area (Read more)
Mobile OD Needed for Senior Living Facilities (Read more)
Looking for Passionate & Community Focused Optometrists in Decatur & Mt. Zion (Read more)
Southern IL:
Mobile OD Needed for Senior Living Facilites (Read more)
Part-Time to Full-Time Opportunity at Metro Eye Care (Read more)
Full Time Opening in Swansea IL, Metro East 20 minutes from St. Louis (Read more)
Out of State:
FT Optometrist Needed in Kenosha, Wisconsin (Read more)
OD Needed in Door County, Wisconsin (Read more)
Para & Key Staff:
Join our team as a dedicated Optician- No Weekends Required (Read more)
Practices for Sale:
Practice for Sale on the Fox River (Read more)
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Illinois Optometric Association
217-525-8012
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