Preservation and Restoration of Vision:

Vision for the Future, Part 1: Advocacy for the Preservation and Restoration of Vision

On this page:

• Goal
  
  
• Objectives
  
  
• Results
  
  
• Task Force Action Plan

Goal

Advocacy for the preservation and restoration of vision acts to increase the allocation of resources necessary for the eradication of preventable blindness.

Advocacy encourages ophthalmologic organizations, non-governmental entities and governments to aid the Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness/VISION 2020 and other efforts to preserve and restore vision.

Objectives

Advocacy is designed to focus attention on the need for services and resources to eradicate avoidable vision loss and blindness. International ophthalmology should coordinate with national and international ophthalmologic organizations, specialty ophthalmologic organizations, non-governmental entities and governments to support the World Health Organization/International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness/VISION 2020 as well as additional programs to preserve vision and prevent blindness.

Results

Results to be obtained by preservation and restoration of vision advocacy include:

1. Increased awareness of worldwide visual disability and blindness among ophthalmologists, governments, international organizations and the public.
   
   
2. Enhanced awareness by governments of the need for public services and programs to preserve vision and prevent blindness as an important priority on the national health agenda.
   
   
3. Encouragement for equitable distribution and efficient utilization of existing resources for restoration of vision and blindness prevention.
   
   
4. Increased support from governments and other decision makers for initiatives to prevent visual disability and blindness.
   
   
5. Support for the overriding goal of ensuring that all people have access to affordable, quality eye care.
   
   
6. Support of specific programs for early intervention and timely care of children with eye disease and potentially blinding conditions.
   
   
7. Promotion for quality services to individuals with diseases such as cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, as well as developmental and degenerative eye disease.
   
   
8. Awareness of the need to prevent eye injuries.
   
   
9. Encouragement for services and rehabilitation programs to enhance quality of life for people with visual disability and blindness.

Task Force Action Plan

The Advocacy for Preservation and Restoration of Vision Task Force plans the following actions:

1. Ophthalmologic Awareness and Commitment
   
   

To conduct a campaign to make every national and supranational ophthalmologic organization, subspecialty society and individual ophthalmologist around the world both aware of public need related to visual disability and blindness and committed to helping address this need in some fashion.

2. National Statistics and Priorities
   
   

To persuade national governments to make preservation and restoration of vision a high priority on the national health care agenda and to include the number of people with visual disabilities and blindness in the principal health statistics compiled by the World Health Organization and by each country.

3. Economic Benefit
   
   

To collect and analyze relevant data to convince the news media and governmental officials of the economic benefit of ophthalmologic care to prevent visual disability and blindness.

4. Alliance
   
   

To develop a close working relationship with the World Health Organization, International Agency for Prevention of Blindness and non-governmental organizations and collaborate with them to persuade national governments to support efforts to eradicate avoidable blindness and to both preserve and restore vision.

5. VISION 2020
   
   

To work with national and supranational ophthalmologic organizations in each World Health Organization and International Agency for Prevention of Blindness region to motivate and mobilize ophthalmologists and health care personnel to participate in the Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness/ VISION 2020.

6. Screening Programs
   
   

To work with ophthalmologic societies, non-governmental organizations and others to establish programs for screening infants and children, patients with diabetes mellitus, and adults who are susceptible to glaucoma and other eye diseases for the purpose of early detection and enhanced treatment of eye conditions and diseases associated with vision impairment and blindness.

7. Eye Care Programs
   
   

To coordinate with ophthalmologic societies, non-governmental organizations and others to establish appropriate programs for treatment of amblyopia, strabismus, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, trachoma and other eye diseases.

Next: Research in Ophthalmology and Vision

Also see: Introduction/Table of Contents for Vision for the Future