There should be more meetings
like Vision Summit to facilitate individual and collective
action promoting increased vision care for children.
We need a multi-disciplinary/team approach to vision care
for children.
There is clear variability in terms,
screening and treatment protocols across the country. We
should strive to develop uniformity in screening, diagnostic
tools, methods and terms to ensure quality in children's
vision care.
Legislative mandates with enforcement
are critical in addressing children's vision care issues.
Lack of vision care reimbursement
by insurance companies is a big concern for all of us. We
need to create incentives for pediatricians to conduct vision
screening.
Pediatric vision research focused on longitudinal population
data and other
empirical data is essential and should be funded. We need more
data to support the evidence for needed policy changes.
We are dealing with children with multi-racial, multi-cultural
and varied socio-
economic backgrounds. We need to have various ways to approach
and engage those children so that no one falls through the
crack.
Public awareness needs to be raised
on the importance of vision care for children. Many children's
learning and development are impeded due to vision issues.
We should utilize this momentum
and past successes to spread the enthusiasm among eye care
professionals across the country. It's imperative to create
synergy among the education, public health and medical communities
on behalf of improved vision care for children.
