PBA hosts Focus on Vision: Eye Health and the Federal Government briefing
On Tuesday, January 29th, PBA hosted Focus on Vision: Eye Health and the Federal Government on Capitol Hill. The briefing was intended to introduce new Members of Congress and their staff to the basics of vision and eye health, and the work of the federal agencies to support this area. The briefing was sponsored by Sucampo Pharmaceutical, Inc., a new PBA supporter, and the Congressional Vision Caucus.
John E. Crews, DPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
We brought in three speakers. The first, Dr. Chris Renner, gave a basic Eye Health 101, highlighting the basics about cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. John Crews, DPA, from the Vision Health Initiative at CDC, spoke about the CDC’s public health approach to vision and eye health. He discussed their pilot programs to address glaucoma at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Wills Eye Institute. Neyal Ammary-Risch came to talk about NEI’s National Eye Health Education Program, which includes a public education initiative to raise awareness about glaucoma.
It was well attended by Hill staff and provided an excellent start to PBA’s education and advocacy efforts in the 113th Congress.
