Chair Column
During the past year, officers of the Vision Care Committee have worked diligently on a number of important issues. A new operations and procedures manual for the Section is being spearheaded by Drs. Norman Bailey and Greg Hom. This document will be presented at our upcoming meeting in San Diego.
Just a few months ago the Dection lost our beloved Dr. Mort Silverman, the chair of our Membership Committee. Mort was instrumental in obtaining funding for student membership and introduced a new cadre of optometry students into the field of public health. As you all know, a decisive change in the profession was the enhancement of our scope of practice through the use pharmaceutical agents. Mort, in his leadership role in the Rhode Island State Optometric Association, led the battle cry in this effort as Rhode Island was the first state to allow optometrists to use these diagnostic agents. Optometry advanced from merely ‘detecting and referring’ to a profession that would diagnose. This success was a catalyst for a nationwide effort that changed the dynamics of the profession. Mort Silverman was an exceptional human being, who always championed the professional and ethical practice of our profession. He will be deeply missed.
The Vision Care Section of APHA has embarked on a new and exciting initiative that we hope will set the stage for future projects. The initiative is designed to develop a concise reference guide to help eye care providers with easy and rapid access to the latest clinical information they need in order to provide quality eye and vision care services to their patients.
This initiative is designed to provide an “office companion” summary for the optometrist to use in practice. An online Web-based version will make the information readily accessible to all and enable easy updates as new studies are released. A task force of Vision Care Section members has been working on a document that would help improve access to relevant science-based evidence and assist in clinical decision making of practitioners . Members of our task force include:
Task Force Members Affiliation
Kerry Beebe Chair, Clinical section, American Optometric Association
Sandra Block Professor of Optometry, Illinois College of Optometry
Linda Casser Director of Clinical Examinations, National Board of Examiners in Optometry
Michael Duenas Center for Disease Control, National Eye Health Education Program, Division of Diabetes
Kevin Frick Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Health Policy and Management
Elizabeth Hoppe Dean, Western University
Robert Kleinstein Professor, Optometry University of Alabama at Birmingham
Renee Mika Associate Professor Chief, Community Based Services Michigan College of Optometry
Richard Madonna Chief, Ocular Disease and Testing University Optometric Center, SUNY College of Optometry
Jeanne Ramsey Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Boston Medical Center
Mort Soroka Professor, SUNY College of Optometry, Director ,Center for Vision Care Policy
Jeff Todd Prevent Blindness America, Senior Vice President
Chaired by Dr. Richard Madonna, this group met for two days in June 2008 in Seattle, where they reviewed all significant clinical studies published during the past several years, including those clinical trials that are presently under way. A structure and methodology was developed and assignments to individual members of the Task Force were dispensed. We are confident that this project will help stimulate additional projects sponsored by the Vision Care Section.
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From NIH
Consider attending the NIH Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities (Dec. 16-18, 2008). For registration information consult:
www.ncmhd.nih.gov.
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Vision Care Section Activities
Activities for the Vision Care Section will be at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. Activities include:
Sunday
2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
249.0 Vision Care Business Meeting 1
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
2036.2 Vulnerable Populations
4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
283.0 Vision Care Business Meeting 2
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
2050.0 Provision of quality and culturally sensitive health care for refugees and immigrants
Monday
8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
3069.0 Preventing Eye Disease, Eye Injuries, and Future Vision Loss
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
3157.0 School Nursing: Professional Issues in School Health
12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
3200.0 You have to see a doctor again? Continuity of care for immigrants
3255.0 Vision and Its Impact on Learning including School Vision Screening, Vision As A Part Of Wellness Goals And Alternative Methods Of Delivering Vision Care To Children at Schools
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 339.0 Vision Care Business Meeting 3
Tuesday, Oct. 28
8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
4066.0 Vision Care Without Borders..A View of International Vision Care
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
4123.0 Evidence Based Policy, Racial Disparity and Practice In Eye Care and Aging and the Impact on Vision
12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
4218.0 Vision Care in Community Based Programs
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
440.0 Vision Care Business Meeting 4
Wednesday, Oct. 29
8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
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Other APHA Meeting Activities of Potential Interest
Other APHA Meeting Activities of Interest
Governing Council Meetings
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008
3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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IAPB Activities
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness held its 8th General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 25-29, 2008.
IAPB is the lead agency for the World Health Organization's campaign to prevent avoidable blindness by the year 2020, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight (see
www.v2020.org
for more information). At the IAPB Council of Members meeting, and at the North American regional meeting in Argentina, it was noted that both the United States and Canada are among the few countries that have not adopted a VISION 2020 Plan or convened a national committee. The APHA VCS sponsored a resolution for APHA to fully support VISION 2020 in the year 2000. Likewise, further advocacy is needed for increased financial support from the United States for this global initiative.
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