A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is issuing a call to action to eliminate correctable and avoidable vision impairments in the U.S. by 2030.
According to the report, "Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow," although millions of people struggle with undiagnosed or untreated vision impairments in the U.S., eye and vision health is not a national health priority. The report is the result of a multidisciplinary committee formed in 2014 to "examine the core principles and public health strategies to reduce visual impairment and promote eye health in the United States."
The report reportedly calls for a population-health approach that promotes eye and vision health beyond the clinical setting, with an emphasis on minimizing preventable and uncorrected impairment. Additionally, the report recommends the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issue a nationwide call to action to reduce vision impairment across the lifespan of people in the U.S. with specific goals to eliminate correctable and avoidable vision impairment by 2030, and says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should develop a comprehensive surveillance system for eye and vision health to better document the epidemiological patterns, risk factors, care patterns, and costs associated with vision loss.
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Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine