(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO — Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization, will host the 14th Annual Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Summit on May 14, 2025, as a free, interactive virtual event. The theme for this year is “Perspectives in Vision,” designed to emphasize the need for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to addressing eye health challenges in an evolving world.
The 2025 Summit agenda will address a variety of topics including recent innovations in vision care and technology; public health strategies to reduce preventable blindness; policy frameworks to integrate eye health into broader healthcare systems; and local to global approaches to ensuring access to quality eye care. Attendees will also hear personal stories from patients and care partners to help deepen insights into eye health and educate others on the impact vision loss and blindness has on quality of life.
“We are thrilled to convene the 14th consecutive Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Summit, which provides a unique forum for all those who are champions for vision and eye health programs, research and services,” said Jeff Todd, president & CEO of Prevent Blindness. “The Summit brings together thought leaders, experts and advocates from around the world to discuss best practices and formulate new strategies to promote the importance of healthy vision and the critical need for access to quality eye care.”
The Focus on Eye Health Summit is attended by an expansive, international audience, including patients, patient advocates, eye care practitioners, public health officials, researchers, policymakers, nonprofit and for-profit leaders, corporate partners, and more. As with previous years, all attendees are encouraged to network using various online features as well as following the event on Prevent Blindness social media platforms at #EyeSummit.
The virtual doors will open to the Exhibit Hall for the Focus on Eye Health Summit at 11 a.m. ET. Attendees will be able to download free resources available from Summit event exhibitors, and e-mail communications will be available with exhibit staff. Additionally, some booths will have video and text chat options available.
To date, the following Summit presentations and discussions will include:
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Keynote Discussion: Leading the Way- National Lessons in Eye Health Advocacy and Collaboration and Reaction Panel
- Opening remarks and moderator: Jeff Todd, President & CEO, Prevent Blindness
- Jennifer Jones, President & CEO, Fighting Blindness Canada
- Elisabeth Fowler, Executive Director and CEO, Canadian Ophthalmological Society
Reaction Panel: How can we drive meaningful change for vision and eye health in the U.S.?
- Phil Goglas II, MPAP, Managing Partner, Health and Medicine Counsel LLC
- Dan Ignaszewski, Executive Director, Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) & National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR)
SESSION 2: Fireside Chat: Factors that Matter in Vision Research
Moderator: Ruth Y. Shoge, OD, MPH, FAAO, Associate Clinical Professor; Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; University of California Berkeley
- M. Roy Wilson, MD, MS; President Emeritus, Wayne State University; Distinguished Professor, Wayne State University School of Medicine
SESSION 3: Putting Advocacy into Action
Moderator: Heather Shirk Patrick, President & CEO, Prevent Blindness Texas
- Leslie Nwankwo, Prevent Blindness ASPECT Patient Engagement Program Graduate
- Abubakar Sadik Mohammed, OD, PhD Student, Vision Science Graduate Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Prevent Blindness ASPECT Patient Engagement Program Graduate
- Linda MacLeod, Prevent Blindness ASPECT Patient Engagement Program Graduate
The final session of the day will be “The Future of Diagnosis and Treatment in Eye Care.” The day will also feature the popular Prevent Blindness “Coffee Chats” that provide a venue for attendees to engage in informal and lively discussions around a variety of topics.
To close the Summit, Jeff Todd will formally announce the recipients of the 2025 Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health, and the 6th annual Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award. Recipients will present during a Prevent Blindness-hosted webinar in the Fall of 2025.
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The Focus on Eye Health Summit is made available at no cost to attendees thanks to the generous support of the event sponsors. To date, PhRMA is serving as a Platinum Sponsor. Gold sponsors include Amgen, BrightFocus Foundation, and the Collaborative Community on Ophthalmic Innovation. Silver sponsors are Alcon Laboratories, Inc., American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retina Specialists, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Johnson & Johnson, Kyowa Kirin, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, and Research to Prevent Blindness.
For more event information, and to register for the 2025 Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Summit, visit PreventBlindness.org/eyesummit. For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Nita Sinha, Senior Director of Public Health, at EyeSummit@PreventBlindness.org.
About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, visit us at PreventBlindness.org, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram,Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
