Capturing the Essence of Environmental Justice and the Power of Public Health; A Bold Contemporary Prevention Model that Includes Optometry

Indicators for community vision/eye health have remained stable or have deteriorated for the past decade. This is reflected in national and state health datasets (BRFSS, NHANES, NHIS) indicating little or no progress being made toward meeting important national vision and eye health objectives (HP2010) and higher rates of eye disease among vulnerable populations, including: children, the elderly, the socioeconomically disenfranchised, and ethnic minorities. As a professional health care community, we have failed to target these populations and as a result they continue to be denied essential health services related to vision/eye health. Our national datasets reveal that only half of the estimated 61 million Americans at high risk of vision loss have access to vision/eye health care and that 60% of adults surveyed indicate that they have "no reason to have an eye exam". Efforts to effectuate positive change in community vision/eye health must expand beyond the traditional vision community and intersect with the broader public health, governmental, and environmental concerns that address the underlying causes of disease disparities. This presentation will discuss new opportunities that intersect optometry in a bold contemporary prevention model, capturing the essence of environmental justice and the power of public health and directing the combined energies toward workable and demonstrated solutions to improve public health, including vision/eye health.