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Public Health & Safety

Eye health begins with prevention, access, and the research that makes breakthroughs possible. The Academy advocates for all of the above — for every patient, at every stage of life.

An ophthalmologist performs a pediatric eye exam

Protecting the public's eye health requires more than treating disease. It requires preventing disease, funding the research that makes new treatments possible, and ensuring that patients can trust the information they receive about the care they are getting. The Academy's Public Health & Safety advocacy spans the full continuum: from evidence-based vision screening programs for children, to patient safety protections for contact lens wearers and LASIK candidates, to truth-in-advertising laws that ensure patients know who is treating them, to federal investment in the research that powers the next generation of sight-saving therapies. 

These issues are united by a common commitment: that every patient — regardless of age, background, or geography — deserves access to safe, effective, evidence-based eye care, delivered by qualified providers, informed by the best available science. 

Vision Screening

Routine vision screenings are essential for children's development — and the Academy supports making them universal and accessible.

Contact Lens & Eyeglass Safety

The Academy works to protect patients from the dangers of illegally sold contact lenses, while opposing unnecessary burdens on prescribers.

Truth in Advertising

Patients deserve accurate information about their health care providers' qualifications, training, and scope of practice.

Protecting the National Eye Institute

Proposals to consolidate the NIH threaten the National Eye Institute's independence and the vision research that millions of patients depend on.

Research Funding

The Academy champions robust federal investment in the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Vision Research Program to advance sight-saving science for all Americans.

Invest in the Future of Vision Research

For 50+ years, the NEI has driven vision research, but funding and independence remain at risk. Tell Congress: Vision research cannot wait.

Contact Congress

Latest News

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Join in ELSA Week of Action

 As part of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) Week of Action, the Academy and American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), in partnership with the ELSA Coalition, are contacting members of Congress and encouraging action in support of ELSA.

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Academy Supports Physician Exemption From New Visa Program Fee

The Academy joined 60 medical organizations in urging the Department of Homeland Security to exempt international medical graduate physicians from the application fee.

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Support for AI-Driven Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Advances in House

Support for AI-Driven Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Advances in House

Ophthalmologist lawmaker Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD, helped secure language to promote expanded access to AI-driven eye screenings in federally qualified health centers and rural communities.

Our Advocacy in Action

The Academy advances public health and patient safety through federal advocacy, research funding campaigns, and legislative wins that protect patients and the science that serves them.

Learn More About Our Impact
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Pioneering
Advocating for the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act — which would create the first federally funded children's vision screening program.
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Preserved
The Academy protected the National Eye Institute from proposed federal restructuring and eliminated funding.
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Protected
$10 million in Department of Defense vision research funding restored after the Academy advocated against full program elimination.

Join Us in Protecting the Future of Eye Care

Every contribution strengthens our impact.

Ophthalmologists advocating on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

OPHTHPAC

The Academy’s political action committee, OPHTHPAC, advocates at the federal level for our members and the patients they treat on critical issues affecting ophthalmology.
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Surgical Scope Fund

Help derail dangerous scope of practice expansion initiatives at the state level that put patient safety at risk by supporting the Surgical Scope Fund.
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