Overview of the 13th Annual Focus on Eye Health Summit
Editor:
Riya Patel, BS
Riya is a second-year medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
The 13th Annual Focus on Eye Health Summit was hosted virtually by Prevent Blindness on July 10th-11th, 2024. It united a diverse group of individuals and stakeholders who are passionate about addressing the growing burden of eye diseases and vision impairment.
Over 800 attendees participated in the interactive event by visiting the virtual exhibitor hall, conversing with other attendees, and listening to presentations. Many of the talks focus on interdisciplinary topics in eye care such as: government and policy, technology and AI, research and innovation, and more! Keep reading for some more details on keynote speakers, highlighted events, and inspiring talks related to this year’s theme of “Being Seen and Heard.”
Stacey Lee, JD who is a Professor in Law and Ethics at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School led a keynote address called “The Patient Voice”. This piece discussed the importance of the patient voice in empowering patients through their eye care journey. Some challenges that were discussed were reduced rates of insurance coverage and inaccessible medical forms. She encouraged listeners to practice individual advocacy at the patient-level as well as systemic advocacy at the institutional-level.
Another interesting session was “The Many Eyes in Artificial Intelligence” which featured a panel of physicians from across the country. They discussed the role and challenges of artificial intelligence in eyecare, while maintaining the goal of providing a patient-centered and personalized experience to all. For instance, the physician panel believed that AI can serve as a great tool for patient education on eye health but also expressed concern that no one is fact checking the information that patients are reading from AI.
The Prevent Blindness 2024 Rising Visionary Award was presented to Erica Shelton, OD, MS during the “Progress in Children's Vision Health and the Journey Ahead” talk. Shelton is passionate about pediatric vision health and discussed interventions such as school-based vision programs and improved advocacy for young children with vision problems.
A panel session focusing on stories, experiences, and reflections by ASPECT – Advocacy, Support, Perspective, Empowerment, Communication, and Training – Patient Engagement Program Graduates about being seen and heard was called “Visible Voices: Vignettes of Being Seen and Heard.” It served as a reminder of true patient stories and experiences and the strength they have. These three individuals shared raw moments of their lives such as losing their driver’s license, receiving pity or judgment from others, and being discouraged from pursuing their dreams due to their visual impairments.
Conclusion
The 13th Annual Focus on Eye Health Summit concluded with a powerful call to action by the Prevent Blindness CEO, Jeff Todd. Attendees were encouraged to use the new knowledge they gained from the summit and collaborate across disciplines to advance eye health. Although this event was a celebration of all the work that has been done, it also served as a reminder of the progress that is still required.
For further information about this event, please follow this link.
References:
1. Prevent Blindness. The Focus on Eye Health Summit. 2024; Available from: https://preventblindness.org/2024-eyesummit-presentations/.
