Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow

Review
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2016 Sep 15.

Excerpt

The ability to see deeply affects how human beings perceive and interpret the world around them. For most people, eyesight is part of everyday communication, social activities, educational and professional pursuits, the care of others, and the maintenance of personal health, independence, and mobility. Functioning eyes and vision system can reduce an adult's risk of chronic health conditions, death, falls and injuries, social isolation, depression, and other psychological problems. In children, properly maintained eye and vision health contributes to a child's social development, academic achievement, and better health across the lifespan.

The public generally recognizes its reliance on sight and fears its loss, but emphasis on eye and vision health, in general, has not been integrated into daily life to the same extent as other health promotion activities, such as teeth brushing; hand washing; physical and mental exercise; and various injury prevention behaviors. A larger population health approach is needed to engage a wide range of stakeholders in coordinated efforts that can sustain the scope of behavior change. The shaping of socioeconomic environments can eventually lead to new social norms that promote eye and vision health.

Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow proposes a new population-centered framework to guide action and coordination among various, and sometimes competing, stakeholders in pursuit of improved eye and vision health and health equity in the United States. Building on the momentum of previous public health efforts, this report also introduces a model for action that highlights different levels of prevention activities across a range of stakeholders and provides specific examples of how population health strategies can be translated into cohesive areas for action at federal, state, and local levels.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This activity was supported by American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Academy of Optometry; American Optometric Association; Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology; National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research; National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health; Prevent Blindness; Research to Prevent Blindness; Contract No. 200-2011-38807, TO#32 with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]; and Contract No. HHSN2632012000741, TO#61 with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [National Institutes of Health]. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.