Bruce Moore, OD, Marcus Professor of Pediatric Studies, New England College of Optometry, and Co-Chair of Children’s Vision Massachusetts, was presented with the Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health at the Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health National Summit, National Press Club, Washington, DC, on July 13, 2016.
Among the highest honors Prevent Blindness bestows, the award is presented annually to an individual, team, or organization that has made significant contributions to the advancement of public health related to vision and eye health at the community, state, and/or national level. The award serves as a living memorial to Jenny Pomeroy, who served as the CEO of Prevent Blindness Georgia from 1996 until 2013. Jenny brought a passionate understanding of public health to her work and to the organization’s mission.
Dr. Moore’s talk, Children’s Vision 2016 – Where We Are and Where We Need to Go, included a review of the current state of children’s vision in the United States with a problem list including Limited Awareness, Limited Access and Limited Interest. He provided recommendations to address these three areas of concern and concluded with a call to action based on collaboration. He defined collaboration as “partnerships not just among eye doctors, but with professionals in primary health care, early education, elementary and secondary education, public health, and government, as well as parents”. Dr. Moore concluded his remarks by stating that we must come together and provide the leadership required to respond to these problems to improve the vision health of children thereby supporting their overall development and opportunities to learn.