Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center

In the pursuit of our mission to improve vision through research, education and supporting access to care, your Knights Templar Eye Foundation has partnered with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the largest ophthalmic organization in the world, to create a Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center. This Center, a part of the Academy's Ophthalmic News and Education (ONE®) Network, will be comprehensive in scope, and global in reach.

Our support of this global educational resource will be an important step toward addressing a large and growing burden of vision loss. More than 285 million people globally are blind or visually impaired, and at an estimated economic cost of $3 trillion annually. Childhood blindness is among the top five causes of visual loss worldwide. An estimated 500,000 children become blind annually, and up to 60 percent of these children in developing countries are thought to die within one year. Nearly half of all blindness in children is due to avoidable causes that could be prevented with interventions using existing knowledge.

The purpose of the Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center (Education Center) is to ensure a strong educational foundation for current and future generations of ophthalmologists, and by doing so, eliminate a lack of ophthalmic education as a contributor to global blindness. It will speed the adoption of new knowledge, technology and treatments. No such resource currently exists, even though the pace of innovation is increasing, and there is a real and growing need for the Education Center among pediatric ophthalmologists.

The Education Center will enable pediatric ophthalmologists throughout the United States and worldwide, including countries where we have Subordinate Commanderies, to access a single online resource of the highest quality content, vetted by experts. In combination with an extensive surgical simulation library, this virtual skills transfer center will address the needs of residents and fellows, mid-career practitioners, and international training programs in less-developed countries. The Education Center will teach:

o Basic science principles
o Pathology and pathogenesis of disease
o Specific disease content
o Diagnosis and differential diagnosis
o Medical and surgical management o Risk management
o Complications management
o Patient instructions
o Outcomes assessment

Visit: http://www.aao.org/pediatric-ophthalmology-strabismus

By supporting the Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center within the American Academy of Ophthalmology's ONE Network, we have a real opportunity to make a difference and improve the outcomes in eye care for children worldwide.