Promote healthy vision for people with diabetes during National Diabetes Month!

November 2022

Dear NEHEP Partners,

More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, putting them at higher risk for eye diseases. The good news is that there are steps people with diabetes can take to protect their eye health. During National Diabetes Month this November, we’re highlighting eye health resources for people with diabetes and the health care professionals who care for them.

Best,

Devina Kuo Fan, M.P.H.

Director, National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP)

National Eye Institute

Tune in to Diabetes and Your Eye Health webinar

In collaboration with the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc. and the National Optometric Association, NEHEP Planning Group member Dr. Sherrol Reynolds is giving a webinar titled Diabetes and Your Eye Health. Join on November 16 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Educate your community about the risks of diabetic eye disease

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) partnered with the National Association for Community Health Workers (NACHW) to create the Focus on Diabetes™ training and toolkit. This toolkit explains the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams for the early detection, intervention, and prevention of eye disease and vision loss caused by diabetes.

Check out the toolkit

Promote early referral, diagnosis, and treatment for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema

Prova Education and NEI worked together to develop a diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema education series. The series offers tools to help health care professionals across specialties ensure that all patients with diabetes achieve the best possible vision outcomes. Choose webinars tailored to your specialty and get continuing medical education (CME)/continuing education (CE) credit.

Watch the series

Nominate a colleague to support the Focus on Myopia – Pathogenesis and Rising Incidence study

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have proposed a consensus study to investigate the global increase in myopia. The National Academies invite you to nominate committee members or reviewers for the study by November 11.

Submit your nominations

Calendar of Events

Build your diabetic eye disease education skills with IJCAHPO's new course

On November 22, the International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (IJCAHPO) will release a self-guided Diabetic Eye Disease Educator course. The course will explore the signs, symptoms, and complications of the secondary diseases of diabetes, including diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma.

Other Events and Resources

Resource: The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ (NIDDK’s) theme for National Diabetes Month is Diabetes Management: It Takes a Team. Check out their resources for people with diabetes on managing diabetes and building a health care team.

Resource: The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry’s (ASCO’s) Eye on Diversity Speaker Series will feature six experts discussing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging issues in the optometry field.

Resource: Prevent Blindness updated their free Diabetes & the Eyes toolkit — available in English and Spanish. The toolkit offers educational materials on diabetes and the impact of diabetes on eye health.

November 10: Envision University will host an in-person event and live streamed webinar titled Low Vision Grand Rounds.

November 14: The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is seeking high-quality abstracts for their 2023 Annual Meeting. Submit abstracts from November 14 to January 6. Event registration is open.

November 15: The Glaucoma Foundation will host a virtual webinar titled Low-Vision Devices for Everyday Life. Register here.

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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