Addressing vision objectives through the Healthy Eyes Healthy People® Program

Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) health promotion and disease prevention project for the nation, which emphasizes early diagnosis and treatment. HP2010 contains health goals and 467 health objectives, including 10 objectives addressing eye and vision conditions, to be met by the year 2010. The American Optometric Association (AOA) has taken a leadership position in improving the eye and visual health of the nation through its own initiative, Healthy Eyes Healthy People® (HEHP). In 2001, the AOA Board approved HEHP, an ambitious public-private initiative to improve the eye and visual health of Americans. HEHP promotes collaboration among government agencies, health care advocates, and optometrists to develop innovative strategies for community outreach to help promote good health and optimum vision. Through this program, AOA and its partners have awarded over $1,000,000 in HEHP® grants to 47 State Optometric Associations and their community partners to fund more than 250 community projects addressing the vision needs in their communities. Plans are in place to transform the program to meet the needs of the population and the objectives of HP 2020. HEHP grants are made possible through generous support from Luxottica and Vision Service Plan.