Download healthy eyes healthy people - Texas Optometric Association

2004 HEALTHY EYES HEALTHY PEOPLE STATE ASSOCIATION GRANTS
FUNDED BY LUXOTICCA
For additional information about these projects, contact the State Optometric Association
Executive Director.
ALASKA
Diabetes Project
Contact – Tracy Oman – PHONE: (907) 770-3777 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – To reduce visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy and increase
the number of diabetics receiving dilated eye exams.
Project Goal – To improve education about importance of dilated eye examinations.
Project Activities – Only about 30 percent of Alaskans with diabetes who receive care
from community health centers receive an annual dilated eye exam. Our plan is to work
with the Alaska Primary Care Association and the community health centers to deliver
eye care more effectively. We plan to use portable and/or on-site equipment and send
optometrists to both local and remote community health centers for eye examinations.
The centers will provide space, transportation and limited patient assistance. The
American Diabetes Association will help advertise and promote the availability of this
program. Referrals will be made when appropriate.
ALABAMA
Etowah County Infant Vision Project
Contact – Adam Gordon, OD – PHONE: (205) 975-8545 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus -- Objective 28-2. Increase the proportion of preschool children aged five
years and under who receive vision screening.
Project Goal –To provide infant screening opportunities by distributing educational
information and vouchers for infant UV sunglasses and vision screening through
physicians, health department’s WIC programs, and pediatrician offices.
Project Activities – The project will be a pilot program in Etowah County, Alabama, to
provide infant screening opportunities by distributing educational information and
vouchers for infant UV sunglasses and vision screening through physicians, health
department’s WIC programs, and pediatrician offices. The population of Etowah County
is 103,000 persons and the location of most agencies is the city of Gadsden. Over 6.4
percent of the citizens are under the age of five years of age and over 14 percent of the
people in this area are below the poverty income level. This county has one hospital with
approximately 120 live births per month. There are reportedly six obstetricians and nine
pediatricians in the area. The county office of the Alabama Department of Public Health
-2reports over 3,000 children involved in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program
in the county.
ALABAMA
Healthy Center Diabetes Project
Contact – Adam Gordon, OD – PHONE: (205) 975-8545 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-5: “Reduce visual impairment due to diabetic
retinopathy”.
Project Goal – To increase the proportion of diabetic patients receiving dilated eye
examination at the Western Health Center in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Project Activities – The Western Health Center, located in Birmingham at the Alabama
Department of Health Department of Western Jefferson County, provides primary health
care services to the local community. This community is predominantly AfricanAmerican with a high proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries. The UAB School of
Optometry began providing comprehensive eye examinations at the Western Health
Center in September 2003. At present, eye examinations are performed one to two days
per week.
ALABAMA
Rural Diabetes Project
Contact – Adam Gordon, OD – PHONE: (205) 975-8545 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-5: “Reduce visual impairment due to diabetic
retinopathy”.
Project Goal – To educate people with diabetes about the importance of eye
examinations and control of glucose levels to prevent diabetic retinopathy.
Project Activities – The project will be part of the referral and follow-up of a rural
Alabama diabetes-screening project where over 1000 persons have been screened for
glucose levels, hypertension and diabetic eye disease. The educational plan will involve
the 63 persons found to be at risk in Perry County, Alabama. The population of Perry
County is 11,861, with 68 percent African-Americans and an average per capita income
of $16,476 (compared to the Alabama per capita income of $23,521). All of the 63
participants are African-American residents of Perry County.
-3ARIZONA
Children’s Vision Project
Contact – Jane P. Lynch – PHONE: (602) 279-0055 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – The pilot program will provide free eye examinations and glasses to
children in selected low-income schools through the school nurses in those respective
schools.
Project Goal – The overall goal of the project will be to provide good vision to children,
which is not readily available throughout the state of Arizona. A by-product will be the
greater promotion and recognition of the profession of optometry in the state.
Project Activities – This pilot project will be conducted in conjunction with the Health
Safari Program of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Prevent Blindness Arizona and the
school nurses in the low-income schools selected for the program. This program will
assist our Association greatly with our efforts to be present and better recognized in the
Arizona community as well as achieve the objectives of Healthy Eyes Healthy People
(HEHP) by providing vision care to those less fortunate. Our target will be the K-5
children and propose to expend monies from this grant mainly to purchase frames for the
younger-age children.
CALIFORNIA
Every Youth Examined (EYE)
Contact – Kerry Portlock – PHONE: (916) 441-3990 Ext. 243 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-4: Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children
and adolescents ages 17 and under.
Project Goal – To establish the Every Youth Examined (EYE) Pilot Project to model the
feasibility of providing comprehensive eye examinations to all children prior to entering
school in California. The project aims to demonstrate the need (both demand and
effectiveness) for comprehensive eye examinations (vs. screenings) in a pediatric
population, and assess the costs associated with providing exams for all children prior to
entering school.
Project Activities – The California Optometric Association would establish the Every
Youth Examined Pilot Project. COA would partner with a Head Start program to provide
every child in the program (100-500) with a comprehensive eye exam, either through
existing insurance coverage or community resources (i.e., California Vision Project or
Sight for Students). Other partnerships would include local optometric societies, Lions
Club and Jeppersen VisionQuest (for eye appliances), Healthy Families, media and
industry.
-4-
GEORGIA
Children’s Vision
Contact – Georgianne Bearden – PHONE: (800) 949-0060 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Vision exams for preschool children.
Project Goal – Educate parents, teachers, and general public on the importance of a
vision exam prior to entering public school.
Project Activities – Theme: “A Vision Exam – The Most Important Test Your Child
May Take.” Organize a speaker’s bureau in a district that includes both urban and rural
communities; volunteer OD would have a prepared presentation which could be used at
PTA and civic club meetings. Distribute press releases in January 2004 announcing the
theme; produce a public service radio ad with the voice of GA’s secretary of state, Cathy
Cox, stressing the importance of children’s eye exams.
HAWAII
Children’s Vision
Contact – Patricia K. Ichimura, OD – PHONE: (808) 625-7451 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and adolescents.
Project Goal – Increase public awareness of importance of early detection and treatment
of children’s vision conditions.
Project Activities – The Hawaii Optometric Association will begin a campaign to raise
public awareness of the importance of early detection and treatment vision conditions and
the vital role vision plays in their children’s lives. The HOA will also call attention to the
fact that nearly all children in Hawaii are entitled to some kind of vision care assistance if
no conventional insurance coverage is available.
IDAHO
Vision for Special Ed Students
Contact – Jack G. Zarybnisky, OD – PHONE: (208) 678-3539 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – To increase the number of comprehensive eye examinations in the
special education population, then referral for new glasses or pathology of the eye.
-5Project Goal- The goal is to decrease the number of special education students who have
permanent visual impairment due to amblyopia, uncorrected refractive errors, or
pathology of the eye.
Project Activities- Team up with special education instructors, Lions Club members, and
school nurses to do free visual screenings on the special education population. Use the
Oregon-Idaho Lions Eyesight Foundation’s telebinoculars to screen the special education
population. Get the local optometrists and Lions Club members involved in helping with
the screening. This would first require getting the screeners to become comfortable
screening this special population and teach them how to screen this population. It would
also require educating the educators, students and parents or guardians of what a worthy
event this can be. Students who fail the screening would be referred to the local Lions
Club, state health and welfare department, and the county health nurse to help purchase a
comprehensive eye examination and the needed glasses. This will also be a real
experience for the population to learn that the special education population is capable of
doing more than what many people believe they are able to do. Dr. Jack G. Zarybnisky,
will train other optometrists through out the state of Idaho who will in time train their
local volunteers on the telebinoculars. After the initial training the optometrists and
Lions Club members will be able to successfully accomplish this screening in the future
with a minimum of additional help from Jack G. Zarybnisky, O.D. Dr. Zarybnisky has
participated is several of these screenings in foreign countries and has done a very small
project (25 students) in his local school school district.
ILLINOIS
Children’s Vision
Contact – Pamela A. Lowe, OD, FAAO – PHONE: (773) 774-3939 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and adolescents
aged 17 years/younger.
Project Goal – To stress the importance of comprehensive visual evaluations for all
children entering school.
Project Activities - In Illinois, most school districts have vision screenings in place for
school aged children. Sadly, only 30 percent of children who need intervention are
correctly identified. We know that 80 percent of what a student learns is processed
through the visual system yet less than 40 percent of children receive comprehensive eye
examinations. As a profession, we know there is no substitute for a complete visual
examination when it comes to adequately detecting vision problems. In a effort to
increase awareness of the relationship between vision and learning and to open access for
all students to receive comprehensive eye examinations before entering school, the
Illinois Optometric Association (IOA) will develop an information packet complete with
a CD rom presentation that IOA members doctors will present to their local school
superintendents. Since each individual school district has the authority to mandate eye
-6examinations upon entering school, the IOA feels that this grassroots effort will be the
most effective avenue to eradicate blindness and visual impairment in our children and
adolescents. We will develop our education packet by March 2004 for Save Your Vision
month and actively disperse it over the year in hopes to mandate complete visual
evaluations by the 2004-2005 school year.
KANSAS
Head Start Children’s Vision Screening
Contact – Todd Fleischer – PHONE: (785) 232-0225 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus - Objective 28-2: “Vision screenings for children less than 5”.
Project Goal – Double the number of children screened each year from an average of
2100 per year to 4200.
Project Activities – Optometrists will work with local Head Start teachers to provide
vision services.
LOUISIANA
Faith-based Vision Program
Contact – Doug Wilkinson – PHONE: (225) 767-0057 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-1: Dilated eye examinations
28-5: Impairment due to diabetic retinopathy
28-6: Impairment due to glaucoma
28-7: Impairment due to cataract
Project Goal – The overall goal is to improve eye health among older Louisianans and to
decrease the dilated eye exam disparity that exists in the African American diabetic
population by instituting eye health fairs at faith-based venues and senior living
communities. A secondary goal is to use established social marketing research and
permission marketing techniques to create a sustainable change in the target populations’
behavior and insure annual eye exams by eye care professionals.
Project Activities – Our project, known as Faith in Wellness, will work with Louisiana
churches and senior citizen living facilities to host eye health fairs in order to reverse a
disastrous trend in decreased annual dilated eye exams by older residents of Louisiana.
Faith in Wellness’ mission is to prevent diabetic blindness, increase dilated eye exams,
-7and decrease vision impairment due to glaucoma and cataract through eye health fairs
staffed with volunteer Doctors of Optometry held with community partnerships.
MAINE
Eye Examinations for Children
Contact – Reg Mailhot, OD – PHONE: (207) 782-9501 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Reduce uncorrected visual impairments due to refractive errors in
children under 18.
Project Goal – Increase the number of comprehensive eye examinations in children
under 18 by re-educating school nurses about vision conditions.
Project Activities – The project will provide school nurses with the knowledge and tools
necessary to administer a new protocol for school-based referrals, which are being
advocated by Maine Department of Education.
MARYLAND
Educating School Nurses
Contact – Elizabeth McGinn, OD – PHONE: (410) 823-6733 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28.4: “Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children
and adolescents”.
Project Goal – Educate school nurses about common pediatric vision disorders to enable
them to be an informed advocate for the student.
Project Activities – Develop a seminar with lectures and hands on demonstrations with
methods to better identify a child with a vision disorder.
- Develop a tool kit to give to each attendee for reference.
- Mobilize resources for low income patients identified for
comprehensive vision services.
MASSACHUSETTS
Diabetes Project
Contact – Timothy O’Connor, OD, MPH – PHONE: (508) 799-4862 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
-8Project Focus – Objective 28.5. Reduce vision impairment due to diabetes.
Project Goal – To address the awareness of diabetic eye disease and the need for dilated
eye examinations through internal marketing within eye care providers’ offices and in
other allied health professional offices.
Project Activities – Set up an educational program for both patients and health care
providers on diabetic eye disease. Information will be gathered on the number of
diabetics who receive dilated eye examinations from the diabetes Collaborative. Referral
forms and educational material will be distributed to allied health care providers across
the state. Educational programs will be offered at allied health professional meetings
throughout the state. The number of referrals will be tracked to measure the effectiveness
of the program.
MICHIGAN
Diabetes Project
Contact – Lillian H. Thorp, OD – PHONE: (248) 626-9590 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-5: Reduce Visual Impairment due to diabetic retinopathy
Objective 28-1: Increase the proportion of persons who have dilated eye
examinations
Project Goal – Increase awareness among persons with diabetes of the importance of
yearly dilated retinal examinations and to provide dilated examination to those persons.
Project Activities – The goal of the program is to increase the number of dilated retinal
examinations in the diabetic population of Detroit. We will accomplish this by targeting
two groups with a diabetic eye disease awareness campaign. Support personnel will be
provided by Lions volunteers, local and State community health personnel and diabetes
support groups. A media package will be mailed to 50 local primary care providers, who
are identified as providing a high percentage of African American diabetic care. The
cover letter will include information stating that optometrists are trained and licensed to
provide management of eye conditions for patients with diabetes. A supply of reporting
forms will be distributed to patients to be completed by the optometrist and faxed back to
the primary care physician.
MICHIGAN
Vision Rehabilitation Project
Contact – William J. Hooker, OD – PHONE: (517) 339-4100 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
-9Project Focus – Increase use of vision rehabilitation services and adaptive devices by
people with visual impairments.
Project Goal – Bring together a multidisciplinary group (low vision specialists,
occupational therapists, Michigan Secretary of State – Driver Assessment Specialist) to
improve assessment, training and certification of drivers using telescopic devices helping
the individual with visual impairment to maintain independence.
Project Activities – The project is a one-day seminar format with presentations given by
optometric low vision specialists and occupational therapists involved in training bioptic
drivers. Topics will include: Common ocular diseases and disorders that create visual
impairment and how they affect driving. Methods used for training the bioptic driver.
Benefits and limitations of optical devices.
MINNESOTA
Educating the Educators in Children’s Vision
Contact – James A. Meffert-Nelson – PHONE: (952) 841-1122 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-3: Reduce uncorrected visual impairment due to refractive
errors
Objective 28-4: Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and
adolescents aged 17 and under
Project Goal – Increase school nurse, teacher, and parent understanding of the link
between vision and learning and the value of comprehensive Eyecare for children
Project Activities – Last year, the Minnesota Optometric Association distributed a
children’s eye care information package to every school in the state. The folder
contained information for teachers including indications of children with eye problems
and classroom activities related to eyes and vision care, information for school nurses and
information for schools to distribute to parents. We received extremely positive response
to the initial distribution. Like any project of this scope, repetitive distribution is the
most important factor for success. As a result, we would like to follow-up by sending
condensed versions of the information to principles, school nurses, and parent
organizations.
MISSISSIPPI
Children’s Vision
Contact – Dr. Linda D. Johnson – PHONE: (601) 956-7412 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
-10Project Focus – Vision impairment in children and adolescents ages 17 years and under.
Project Goal – Identify students that are first grade repeaters and identify and attempt to
remedy any vision problems that could have contributed to their failure.
Project Activities – We will identify first grade repeaters. Through a vision screening
we will identify possible visual disorders that may have contributed to their failure. We
will educate administrators, teachers and students on the importance of vision and
learning and remedy the vision problems.
MISSOURI
Glaucoma Project
Contact – Zoe Lyle – PHONE: (573) 635-6151 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Reduce visual impairment due to glaucoma.
Project Goal – To increase the number of comprehensive annual eye examinations in the
population at risk for glaucoma.
Project Activities – Develop and implement a risk assessment tool for glaucoma.
Identify and educate messengers with access to the target populations.
MONTANA
Vision Screening of Children
Contact – Dr. Mindy Sterner – PHONE: (406) 771-7223 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and adolescents
aged 17 and under
Project Goal – Collaboration with the Montana Academy of Ophthalmology, the Family
and Community Health Bureau in the Montana Dept. of Public Health and Human
Services, School and Public Health Nurses and the Montana Parent Teachers Association
to establish and prepare vision screening materials in a CD ROM format.
Project Activities – Montana currently does not have a public school vision screening
program legislated. Several years ago the Montana Optometric Association, the Montana
Academy of Ophthalmology, and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human
Services came together and established a vision screening to be used in public schools.
Some schools in Montana are currently using this program. This project would involve
putting this information into a CD ROM format with printable forms and a movie to use
for training. We will also create a color brochure detailing the CD ROM program, a
description of what a vision screening is, and the importance of yearly eye exams for
children. We will send this brochure to all public schools in Montana and offer the
-11training CD ROM. We will travel to the state meeting of the School Nurses Association,
and the Montana Education Association to promote the vision screening and training
program.
NEBRASKA
Vision Exams for Children
Contact – David McBride – PHONE: (402) 474-7716 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-3. Reduce uncorrected visual impairment due to refractive
errors.
Project Goal – To increase collaboration among parents, school nurses, educators,
school administrators, school boards, early childhood educators, community leaders,
public health, policy-makers and health professionals to ensure that children and youth
receive a vision exam.
Project Activities – The NOA plans to host a Children’s Vision and Learning
Symposium in collaboration with the Nebraska Foundation for Children’s Vision, in
Lincoln, Nebraska aimed to develop solutions through collaboration and interdisciplinary dialogue between parents, educators, health care providers, eye care
professionals, school nurses, administrators, school board members, public health, policymakers and other interest groups to increase the number of children and youth that
receive a vision exam. This all day workshop will educate target audiences on the
warning signs to identify potential vision deficiencies in children to ensure that they
receive vision exams. Statistics show that 40 percent of children who fail vision
screening do not receive the recommended follow-up exam. This Symposium will enable
a team approach to addressing this gap. We will utilize several formats of education
including lecture, round table discussion and moderated panel by incorporating speakers
representing optometry and the professionals previously listed.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Diabetes Project
Contact – Amy Pruszenski, OD – PHONE: (603) 430-0211 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 28-5: Reduce visual impairment and blindness from diabetic
retinopathy.
Project Goal – Help support groups, social workers and diabetic educators improve
patient awareness of the need for annual dilated eye examinations by improving their
level of knowledge of diabetic eye complications.
-12Project Activities – NHOA Healthy Eyes committee proposes to “get the word out”
about the importance of annual dilated eye examinations for diabetic patients by reaching
out to those healthcare workers and support groups who have frequent contact with
diabetic patients . We want to ensure that the healthcare workers are comfortable with
their knowledge about diabetic ocular complications and that they understand the
difference between an “eye exam” and a “dilated eye exam”. If they are better able to
appreciate the changes which occur in diabetic retinopathy, they may be better able to
explain to patients how dilated dye examinations help prevent and/or reduce visual
impairment and blindness from this condition. In addition, these healthcare workers may
be able to help determine why some diabetic patients are not currently seeking annual
dilated eye examinations, so that we can modify our approach to help them, in the future.
We have developed the following plan:
1. Develop or obtain a PowerPoint presentation and/or slides to educate
healthcare workers about diabetic eye complications and their treatment, so
they are better able to explain the issue to patients, and answer basic
questions.
2. Create a Speakers’ Bureau: enlist local eye care specialists to speak to the
following:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Diabetes Educators
Social Workers
Nurse practitioners
Primary Care physicians/Endocrinologists
Support groups
3. Promote the Speakers’ Bureau among local community groups (Lions, Rotary,
etc.) and for the NH Diabetes Education Program.
4. Obtain educational materials on diabetic eye complications from NIH, and
photocopy the brochure of the US DHHS Diabetic Retinopathy Handbook for
distribution at presentations.
NEW JERSEY
Diabetes Project
Contact – Daniel Desrivieres, OD – PHONE: (973) 674-1950 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – The Healthy People 2010 objective that the project will focus on is 28-5:
Reduce visual impairment due to Diabetic Retinopathy.
Project Goal – The goal of the project is to educate and increase the number of diabetic
patients receiving comprehensive dilated eye exams annually at the four locations of the
-13Newark Community Health Centers (NCHC). The NCHC is a Federally Qualified
Community Health Center pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa) that in 2002 provided
comprehensive outpatient primary health care services to a total of 26,000 encounters for
11,000 patients at four centers.
Project Activities – The goal of the project is to educate the patient about diabetes and to
make an appointment for a comprehensive dilated eye examination. The project will be
implemented in the following ways:
 Questionnaires and brochures will be available in the examination rooms and at
the nurse’s station at all four sites.
 All diabetics will receive a diabetic retinopathy brochure.
 The physician or the nurse will complete the diabetic questionnaire.
 If the patient is a previously diagnosed diabetic and has had a comprehensive
dilated eye exam within the past year, they will be educated and encouraged to
make an appointment with their eye care practitioner for their next annual visit.
 If the patient is a previously diagnosed diabetic and has not had a comprehensive
dilated eye exam within the past year, he or she will be given an appointment with
the NCHC optometrist or an eye care practitioner of their choice.
 If the patient is a newly diagnosed diabetic, he or she will be given an
appointment the same day to consult the NCHC optometrist or an eye care
practitioner of their choice for a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
 Charts of patients with a diagnosis of diabetes will be periodically audited to
assess compliance with the protocol of the project.
NEW YORK
Diabetes Project
Contact – Amelia G. Bartolone, OD, FAAO – PHONE: (212) 780-4976 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 28-5. Reduce impairment due to diabetic retinopathy.
28-1. Dilated eye examinations.
Project Goal – Increase awareness of the effect of diabetes on the eye and the
importance of receiving dilated eye exams.
Project Activities – This project will increase awareness of the effect of diabetes on the
eye and the importance of receiving dilated eye exams. This message will be conveyed
through community activities in the largely Hispanic and African American population of
the Hunts Point neighborhood in Bronx, New York. Educational initiatives will use the
following methods:
1) Community educational talks: Partner organizations will give joint talks and
distribute diabetic education information (ex. optometrist and diabetes
educator) in multiple settings of the Hunts Point Multi-Service Center (health
center, mental health center, chemical dependency center, senior center). Free
-14and low cost media messages will be leveraged to increase the audience. Six
educational talks will be the goal.
2) Practitioner educational talks: Partner organizations will increase awareness of
diabetes and the eye, encourage the inclusion of diabetic education
information in a doctor-patient communication, and encourage appropriate
referrals.
3) Distribute diabetic education information: Partner with local pharmacists for
information dissemination with diabetes supplies and medication. Partner
with community organizations to create involvement in diabetes healthcare
message.
NORTH CAROLINA
Vision Screening
Contact – Dr. Laurel Gropper – PHONE: (919) 968-4774 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-2. Increase the proportion of preschool children aged five
years and under who receive vision screening. Objective 28-4. Reduce blindness and
visual impairment in children and adolescents ages 17 and under.
Project Goal – To educate pre-school and day care directors, teachers and aides as well
as parents of all on the importance of an eye exam for the pre-school child, the impact of
vision on learning for the pre-school child and provide resources for the at risk children
identified and concluding with a final assessment of capture or success.
Project Activities
1) We will pre-test teachers/directors/aides first, present the education on testing
the children, review norms and telltale signs of vision problems in this age
group. We will assess impact of education with a posttest of same group.
2) A risk assessment questionnaire will be presented to the teacher and parent to
complete per student. This form will ultimately be attached to the pre-school
child’s Screening Report card (a triplicate form for recording data from the
risk assessment performed by the teacher/director or aide). The Report Card
will review findings from the Lea Chart – Distance and Near +1.00 Hyperopic
screening, Stereo Randot and Color Vision test. The child will be referred
based on norms established in advance to flag need for further evaluation.
Networks in Orange County are being developed to provide exams and
services for any at risk children. In addition, we will highlight the importance
of having a comprehensive exam to parents and teachers and stress that ocular
health is not being assessed at all during this evaluation nor is this testing in
lieu of an exam.
3) Assess how many children were addressed and perform outcome analysis.
-15OHIO
Glaucoma Project
Contact – Kelly Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD – PHONE: (614) 688-5381 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Contact – Rick Cornett, OOA ED – PHONE: (614) 846-5093 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus - 28-6: Visual impairment due to glaucoma.
Project Goal - The overall goal is to define ‘best practice,’ two techniques will be used:
(1) member surveys regarding practice techniques, and (2) on-site chart reviews to
confirm patient management including sequence and duration of testing and treatment, as
well as determining which professional characteristics and patient factors result in the
greatest maintenance of a glaucoma patient’s vision. In summary, through the evaluation
of current management and “best practice” standards, and subsequent implementation of
the “best practice” standards, optometrists in Ohio will be better positioned to prevent
vision loss in glaucoma patients.
Project Activities - Glaucoma is among the leading causes of blindness in the United
States. Approximately 2.5 million people have been diagnosed and more than 130,000
people are legally blind from the disease (Gordon et al., 2002; Kass et al.,2002).
Glaucoma is asymptomatic and it has been estimated that less than 50 percent of those
with glaucomatous field loss have received an appropriate diagnosis or treatment
(Gordon et al, 2002: Kass et al, 2002). Healthy Vision 2010 objective 28-6 is to decrease
visual impairment due to glaucoma via community initiatives. Ohio optometrists provide
70+ percent of Ohio residents’ primary vision care, making this state-based glaucoma
project harmoniously aligned with this objective.
OKLAHOMA
Children’s Eye Exams
Contact – Saundra Gragg-Naifeh – PHONE: (405) 524-1075 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 28-1. Increase the proportion of persons (children) who have a dilated
eye examination at appropriate intervals.
Project Goal – To raise public awareness of the importance of comprehensive eye
examinations for children, and motivate parents to action so the number of children who
receive comprehensive eye examinations increases in the state.
Project Activities – The project Dear Mom and Dad relates to the Healthy Vision
objective 28-1 by educating primary caregivers to the critical role that healthy vision has
in promoting academic success. When children suffer from undiagnosed vision
-16disorders, the consequences are serious and long-term. These problems can be
diagnosed, treated and, in many cases, prevented, if children receive comprehensive
exams in early life.
OREGON
Head Start Vision Program
Contact – Bobin Mont, OD – PHONE: (503) 690-9200 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 28.4. Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and
adolescents 17 years and under
Project Goal – Our goal is to ensure that the children enrolled in the Head Start Learning
Centers have the best possible eyesight and vision skills to use in their educational years
and future lives.
Project Activities – Our project’s objective is to educate the Head Start participants’
parents/guardians of the importance of vision care for their children. We would also like
to increase the enrollment of eligible children in Sight for Students, AMIGOS, and other
no cost insurance programs by informing and assisting those parents/guardians in need of
the application process. Our approach is to distribute the “Children’s 1-3-5” pamphlet
and no-fee insurance application (see the support materials attached) to the
parents/guardians of all Head Start participants in the state of Oregon. We will set up a
website clearing house for addressing questions with the application process. As the
applications are returned we will assign the children to the appropriate no-cost insurance
plan: Sight for Students, Oregon Foundation for Vision Awareness, AMIGOS (see the
Cooperating Partners). After a 12-month cycle, we will evaluate statistically how many
applications were received, web site hits occurred, and total numbers of children received
care from the project.
PENNSYLVANIA
Kids Welcome Here
Contact – Deborah Blanchard – PHONE: (717) 233-6455 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28-2. Increase the proportion of preschool children aged five
years and under who receive vision screening. Objective 28-4. Reduce blindness and
visual impairment in children and adolescents ages 17 and under.
Project Goal -- To increase the number of children, starting at age six months, examined
and corrected for visual problems.
Project Activities – POA’s pediatric vision care initiative, Kids Welcome Here,
currently provides posters and brochures educating parents and caregivers about the
importance of eye exams for children to optometrists and school nurses (posters only).
-17Education programs have also been provided for optometrists and school nurses. We
would like to expand the program as follows:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Distribute brochures to hospital pre-natal education programs.
Distribute brochures to Head Start programs.
Distribute brochures to school nurses to supplement the posters mailed in
September 2001.
Distribute brochures to Pennsylvania Association for the Blind Prevention
of Blindness programs.
Develop a new education program for optometrists to present at parent and
teacher groups (PowerPoint/CD and 35 mm slides.)
RHODE ISLAND
Diabetes Awareness Project
Contact – Pamela J. Blodgett, OD – PHONE: (401) 822-2020 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Objective 28.5. Impairment due to diabetic retinopathy.
Project Goal – The overall goal of our project is to increase public awareness of the
importance of annual dilated eye examinations in the prevention of vision loss due to
diabetic retinopathy.
Project Activities – Our project has several parts, which will be detailed as follows.
First, the Rhode Island Optometric Association (RIOA) plans to put up billboards along
two major highways in the state. This would occur during May 2004, Healthy Vision
Month, which is focusing on diabetes. These billboards will have the message “If you
have diabetes, get these checked every year.” There will be a photograph of a pair of
eyes, which will take up most of the billboard area, with the text appearing in large font
below the photo. When blown up to billboard size, these eyes will be quite “eyecatching”. Similar billboards were actually used by a diabetic collaborative
approximately one year ago, and the feedback from the public was very positive.
Another part of the project will focus on getting RIOA members involved in and
enthusiastic about Healthy Vision Month. The RIOA has its annual meeting on January
23-24, 2004 in Providence, RI. At that meeting, I plan to have a prominent display to
educate RIOA members about Healthy People 2010 and objective 28-5 in particular.
RIOA members will also be urged to obtain materials that are available from the
Department of Health and Human Services regarding Healthy Vision Month. I also
intend to notify the members that the billboards will once again be displayed, and to ask
that they poll their patients to find out how many saw the billboards or were told about
the billboards.
-18Another part of the project will be to mail educational materials to
internists/PCPs/endocrinologists. The doctors contacted will be asked to display the
materials (posters which will be similar to the billboards) in their offices, in the hopes
that patients will be encouraged to have their eyes examined.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Vision Quest Program
Contact – Larry L. Menning, OD – PHONE: (605) 734-5613 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – To reduce vision impairment through education.
Project Goal – To provide teachers with lesson ideas, activities and fact sheets to help
students (and their parents) become more aware of the important role vision plays in
learning, the workings of the eye and visual system, and the importance of adopting good
eye health and safety habits throughout life.
Project Activities – Vision Quest is a kit of educational materials for classroom teachers
in kindergarten through grade 12. It is comprised of an educator’s guide, lesson ideas on
the eyes and vision, activity sheets to reinforce lesson concepts, and fact sheets to share
eye health and safety information with students, their parents and others in the
community. Lesson ideas and activities will be age appropriate through grades 6-8 and
subject specific for grades 9-12. All materials will be professionally written and
reviewed by both optometric children’s vision practitioners and teachers.
TENNESSEE
Diabetes Educational Collaborative
Contact – Christopher W. Lievens, OD – PHONE: (901) 722-3330 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 7 Healthy People 2010 Objectives:
12. Heart disease and stroke.
19. Nutrition and overweight.
28-1. Dilated fundus examinations.
28-2. Vision screenings for children.
28-5. Impairment due to diabetic retinopathy.
28-6. Impairment due to glaucoma.
28.7. Impairment due to cataract.
Project Goal – Collaborative educational event provided by the local optometric and
medical community. Goal is to enable the Tennessee leaders to advocate health issues
and initiate city-wide and state-wide health programs.
-19Project Activities
West Tennessee Program: Based in Memphis, Tennessee. Educational symposium to be
held at the new Memphis Public Library. Invitations out to public in mass but aimed at
city and corporate leaders. Speakers will present on the importance of eye exams for
adults and children. Specific focus will be on the diabetes, heart disease, glaucoma,
cataracts, and nutrition. Main goal to initiate collaboration with national health
organizations and optometry in Tennessee. Additional goal to educate city leaders to the
importance of comprehensive eye care.
East Tennessee Program: Hold interactive workshop at Tennessee Optometric
Association meeting to assist statewide optometrists in connecting to health-related
organizations. Will deliver a “how-to” workshop for the local levels similar to AOA’s
national workshop.
TEXAS
Glaucoma Project in Housing Authority Clinic
Contact – Bj Avery – PHONE: (512) 707-2020 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Contact – Stanley Woo, OD, MS – PHONE: (713) 743-0799 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – 28.6. To reduce visual impairment due to glaucoma.
Project Goal – The goal of our project is to increase public awareness about the sightthreatening effects of glaucoma, and to increase accessibility to comprehensive eye care.
Specifically, we will compile resource materials on glaucoma and develop multi-media,
slide presentations to deliver to our target population at the Dallas Housing Authority
(DHA). The themes will include the role of comprehensive eye examinations, and the
importance of early detection and treatment in order to preserve vision. To increase
accessibility to care, we will collaborate with the BridgeBuilders’ Eye Clinic and
University of Houston, College of Optometry (UHCO). The free clinic is located within
the DHA, and is staffed by volunteer optometrists, a staff optometrist and externs from
UHCO. We will record the number of attendees at the presentations and keep track of
the number of resource materials distributed. We will also strive to increase the number
of patients seeking care at the clinic by 25 percent.
Project Activity – H.I.S. BridgeBuilders is a faith-base, not-for-profit agency that “has
been working to impact lives and achieve fundamental and lasting improvement for the
low-income and minority residents of the Dallas Housing Authority developments for the
past eight years.” The BridgeBuilders’ Eye Clinic is located in the Dallas Housing
Authority (DHA). The eye clinic was founded by Kim Castleberry, OD and Joe Deloach,
OD. Volunteer optometrists have been providing fee eye care to DHA residents for
several years. Of the over 4000 patients seen, approximately 25 percent were diagnosed
with glaucoma in this predominantly African American population.
-20-
UTAH
Utah County underserved children
Contact – Linda Peterson – PHONE: (801) 224-2055 – EMAIL: [email protected]
Project Focus – Eye exams for children, migrant eye exams, vision education in the
schools’ providing eye glasses and exams for needy children.
Project Goal – School children with healthy vision who can learn and participate at
school.
Project Activities
1)
Teachers identify, with school nurses, students who have vision needs.
2)
Parents are contacted. If they have provisions to provide needs, they will
do so. If not, testing glasses, and eye care will be provided by Kids Cause.
3)
Local optometrists volunteer their time to assist children. Kids Cause
helps with volunteer teachers, nurses, and necessary funding. When
referred to optometrists, there is no waiting period; children receive exams
and glasses within a week.
4)
United Way and grants like “Healthy People 2010” help fund and assist
with volunteers in making sure Utah County students have healthy eyes.
UTAH
Educating Parents about Vision
Contact – Michael M. Judkins OD – PHONE: (801) 479-7850 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 28-4. Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and
adolescents aged 17 years and older. 28-2. Vision screenings for children.
Project Goal – To decrease vision impairment in children by educating parents about the
signs of vision dysfunction, the difference between screenings and complete
examinations, and available community resources.
Project Activities – In order to meet the project focus as stated above, we propose to
mail each parent or guardian of elementary school aged children educational materials
concerning vision screenings versus complete vision examinations as provided by an eye
care professional. The same material will be given to parents directly during
kindergarten enrollment during March and April 2004.
VERMONT
Vermont Diabetes Collaborative
Contact – Stephen Feltus– PHONE: (802) 748-3536 – EMAIL: [email protected]
-21-
Project Focus – Reduce visual impairment and blindness from diabetic retinopathy.
Project Goal – Through collaboration with other healthcare providers, develop a systems
change to improve how we communicate with each other to improve diabetic care.
Project Activities
1) Start with a collaboration between one optometrist and one team participating
in the Vermont Diabetes Collaborative (VDC) to initiate systems changes
based on the Chronic Care Model through a Plan-Do-Study Act. Systems
changes include: (a) how a diabetic is tracked in an eye care office; (b) how
the eye care office communicates with other team members of the
collaborative; and (c) how members of the team fit into the medical
management of diabetes and what works to measure success.
2) Have one eye care provider join each team in the VDC and try these system
changes by doing their own PDA cycles.
3) Have one or two Lyndon State College nursing students develop and test a
questionnaire about levels of communication before and after implementing
system changes.
4) Help organize and support a Northeastern Kingdom Diabetes Summit and
gather other players (PPOD) onto the VDC teams.
5) Develop a poster studying what we learn and present it at the October 2004
VDC#2 learning session.
6) Invite collaborators to present our findings at a Vermont Optometric
Association meeting and at a Vermont Ophthalmology Society meeting.
VIRGINIA
Cross Over Vision Care
Contact – W. David Spruill, OD – PHONE: (804) 288-2202 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus
1) Increase proportion of persons who have dilated eye exam at appropriate
intervals.
2) Reduce uncorrected visual impairment due to refractive errors.
3) Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children aged 17 and under.
4) Reduce visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy.
5) Reduce visual impairment due to glaucoma.
6) Reduce visual impairment due to cataract.
Project Goal – The overall goal of the Cross Over Vision Care program is to increase
early diagnosis and treatment of potentially sight threatening eye and vision problems.
-22By providing early access to professional vision care in a compassionate setting. Cross
Over encourages early treatment of vision problems for a growing number of adults and
children living in poverty in central Virginia. Within a twelve-month period, Cross Over
expects to increase the number of patient vision care visits by 25 percent.
Project Activities – Beginning twenty years ago as an idea among community
volunteers, Cross Over has developed into a health care delivery model for free clinics. It
is a community service success story from which others can and do draw experience and
knowledge. Of the 53 free clinics in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Cross Over
Ministry is the largest. In 2002, Cross Over delivered health care for approximately
8,000 persons, through 17,000 patient visits served at our Health Center and Outreach
sites. This year we expect to bring compassionate health care to approximately 9,000
patients through 20,000 patient visits.
WASHINGTON
Healthy Eyes Healthy Tots
Contact – Dave Sonntag – PHONE: (509) 444-2350 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – 28-4. Reduce blindness and visual impairment in children and
adolescents aged 17 years and under.
Project Goal – Educate and increase awareness of caregivers of preschool children –
including daycare providers, preschools and parents about the importance of
comprehensive eye examinations for infants and preschoolers; components that should be
included in a vision assessment; and ways to detect signs of visual
development/processing problems.
Project Activities – The title of this proposed campaign is Washington State Healthy
Eyes Healthy Tots.
The Optometric Physicians of Washington (OPW) wishes to increase the number of
children who receive a professional eye examination before entering school (children age
five and under) through educating child caregivers (including parents) about the
importance of early detection of vision problems (such as amblyopia) and how to identify
signs of such problems (ambloyogenic risk factors).
The OPW has already forged a critical step in this process by developing the
“Washington State Preschool Children’s Vision Coalition” to improve detection of
preventable vision loss in preschool children. While the Coalition is still recruiting
partners/members, it currently includes doctors of optometry, ophthalmology, pediatrics
and family practice as well as representatives from the legislature, public health service
and public instruction. The Coalition plans to form a program called the Pre-school
Children’s Vision Initiative.
-23-
The Healthy Eyes Healthy Tot plan is designed to support the Washington State
Preschool Children’s Vision Initiative. It is our intent to share the educational content
developed with the aid of this grant with Coalition members who will in turn disseminate
materials and implement activities within their respective organizations.
WASHINGTON
School Nurses project
Contact – Suzanne D. Scott – PHONE: (509) 334-3610 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus -- Reduce visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive errors.
Project Goal - This project is designed to improve the sensitivity of school vision
screenings by providing education and screening equipment for school nurses.
Project Activities – In the spring of 2003, a presentation was developed as a
collaborative effort of members of the Inland Society of the Optometric Physicians of
Washington. The presentation was designed to share general information about vision
and suggestions for additions to make to a typical school vision screening protocol that
would help improve the sensitivity for finding hyperopia, anisometropia, amblyopia and
strabismus. The recommended screening protocol was based on The School Nurses
Guide to Vision Screening and Ocular Emergencies produced by the AOA. The protocol
changes recommended were adding a plus lens test for hyperopia and a random dot
stereotest for anisometropia, amblyopia and strabismus.
WEST VIRGINA
Diabetes Project
Contact – James F. Pasinski, OD – PHONE: (304) 599-7034 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – Reduce vision impairment due to diabetic retinopathy.
Project Goal – To increase the number of patients with diabetes on Preston, Taylor,
Wirt, Jackson and Western Monongalia Counties receiving annual dilated fundus
examinations.
Project Activities – The incidence of diabetes in West Virginia is among the highest in
the nation. West Virginia, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, is the second
most rural state, with over 60 percent of our residents living in communities of less than
2500. The rural nature of the state adversely effects access to eye care. While the
-24geographic distribution of doctors of optometry on West Virginia is excellent, there are
some areas with little or no eye care practitioners. Many of the state’s residents need to
travel long distances for eye care, which often prohibits many people with diabetes from
receiving yearly eye exams. West Virginia has an excellent network of Community
Healthy Centers. These Centers are supported, in part by state and federal funds, to
provide care to rural, low income families. There are over eighty such clinics throughout
the state. Very few of these Centers have optometric services available.
WYOMING
Diabetes Referrals
Contact – Dan Lex, CAE – PHONE: (307) 637-7575 – EMAIL:
[email protected]
Project Focus – The primary objective of this project is threefold. 1) Increase the
proportion of Wyoming citizens with diabetes who have an annual dilated eye
examination from 25 percent to 50 percent in the first year of study and 75 percent by the
second year. 2) Assure reporting of eye exams in the diabetic care plan.
Project Goal – To increase the rate of dilated eye exams in people diagnosed with
diabetes in Wyoming by developing, implementing and evaluating the eye care referral
form. The form should make it easy and quick to document results of a diabetic eye
examination in a way that provides meaningful, useful information to the primary
physician while also educating the diabetic patient and providing a complete file copy for
the examining eye doctor’s files.
Project Activities – WOA will collaborate with the Wyoming Diabetes Prevention and
Control Program (WDPCP) to develop a plan, to implement and evaluate the use of the
diabetes eye care referral form. The form will be used by Wyoming eye care providers to
document eye care exam outcomes to the patient’s primary care physician. Develop the
eye care referral form (3 part). Implement and education eye care and primary care
healthcare providers about the purpose and use of the form. Evaluate the implementation
of the project by monitoring the increase in rate of eye exams by reviewing two data
sources.