How Can I Get Involved?
By promoting the need for eye care in FQHCs - and by engaging in the Academy's EyeCare America® pilot projects - ophthalmologists, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the eye care community can drive innovative efforts to expand access to eye care.
Where would you like to begin?
A Vision
for Growth
Academy CEO Stephen D. McLeod, MD, shares our vision for expanding eye care access through the FQHC Initiative and EyeCare America.
EyeCare America & FQHCs
What We Do
As a public service program of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, EyeCare America provides uninsured and underinsured individuals 18 years and older with access to medical eye exams.
How We Support
FQHCs
When vision screening programs identify patients at risk of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, those patients are referred to EyeCare America volunteer ophthalmologists for further management and treatment.
Current Pilot Projects
Henrietta Johnson Medical Center
Wilmington, DE
Henrietta Johnson Medical Center is expanding access to eye disease screening using an FDA-cleared AI tool to identify diabetic eye disease.
This first-of-its-kind project in Delaware refers patients with identified diabetic retinopathy to ophthalmologists via EyeCare America and other community providers.
Since launching in May 2024, the pilot has screened over 650 patients and is a model for community health centers nationwide.