The Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance

On February 22, 2009 the Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance (PDEHA) was launched. The PDEHA is a voluntary program in which Pennsylvania optometrists (OD’s) are formalizing their commitment to the optometric evaluation of the diabetic patient and disease management issues such as timeliness, accessibility of care, professional communication, quality management, delivery system cost efficiencies and clinical outcomes. This program and its participating health care professionals (to include podiatry, dentistry and pharmacy) will devote serious and sustained effort to deliver comprehensive and expedient diabetic care and intercommunicate the information to all those involved in the patient’s care.

March is the month-long observance of Save Your Vision Month, now in its 82nd year. During this month optometrists try to remind people of the importance of regular, comprehensive eye exams. Eye health is intrinsically linked to overall health. By looking into your eyes, an optometrist can tell a lot about your general health. Save Your Vision Month raises awareness among the general public and targets at-risk groups to remind them of the need for exams and to detect eye health problems, general health issues and vision difficulties. The mission of the profession of optometry is to fulfill the vision and eye care needs of the public through clinical care, research and education, all of which enhance the quality of life for our patients.

Related web site: www.poaeyes.org