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20/20 Foresight: Understanding Women’s Eye Health and Supporting Patient Needs
December 16, 2021 @ 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm EST
Vision impairment is one of the most common causes of disability in the United States. More than 12 million Americans aged 40 and older are visually impaired or blind. Women are affected disproportionately more than men and certain eye conditions can present in women differently across the lifespan. Some diseases become increasingly common or burdensome with age, such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. Up to two-thirds of Americans with these conditions are women. Other conditions that are also more prevalent in women, such as diabetic retinopathy and thyroid eye disease, tend to occur as complications of an associated chronic disease.
While biology is a major influence in eye health, disparities are worsened as a result of gender-influenced social determinants, gaps in research and clinical education, and insufficient policy solutions to eliminate barriers to access treatments and quality care.
SWHR hosted a virtual public forum to discuss women’s eye health and highlight common eye diseases that affect women, experiences of women living with eye disease, and how to navigate access and management of care.
This public forum is part of SWHR’s Eye Health Program. It builds on a peer-reviewed paper and SWHR’s Eye Health Education Roundtable held in December 2021 that sought to identify gaps in research, clinical practice, policy, and education. Read a summary of the roundtable meeting here.
SWHR’s Eye Health Program published the SWHR Patient Toolkit: A Guide to Women’s Eye Health in January 2022 to empower individuals to navigate their eye health and eye care as they age.
Follow along on social media at #SWHRtalksEyeHealth.
Goals
- Raise awareness of the sex and gender differences in eye health and disease
- Provide a holistic overview of treatment options for women and key considerations for eye disease management
- Increase visibility of the experiences of women as patients and caregivers, emphasizing ways to empower others and improve quality of care and general well-being
- Discuss policy solutions that can improve access to care and treatment for women affected by eye disease
- Highlight information and wellness strategies from SWHR’s patient toolkit: A Guide to Women’s Eye Health
Panelists
Kira Baldonado, MPH
Kira Baldonado, MPH
Kira Baldonado, MPH is the Vice President of Public Health and Policy for Prevent Blindness. She is responsible for the mission- based work of the organization, focusing on program outreach, education, and policy directives. Baldonado has grown the impact of Prevent Blindness through development of strategic partnerships and advancement of the knowledge base available for vision nationally. Prior to her current position at Prevent Blindness, Baldonado was the Director of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness from 2011 to 2018. Baldonado earned her Master’s Degree in Public Health from Kent State University with a focus in health policy and management. She holds a BA degree in Psychology and Sociology from Ohio Wesleyan University. Baldonado is a certified Children’s Vision Screening Instructor for Prevent Blindness.
Trinh Green, MD
Trinh Green, MD
Trinh Green, MD was born in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam and came to the U.S. at an early age. She received a BA and a MA from Harvard in biology prior to receiving her MD at the University of California Irvine. Dr. Green is currently a staff physician at Asian Health Services in Oakland, CA, and most of her career has focused on helping the poor and underserved. Dr. Green has always been severely myopic and in the senior year of high school she developed papillophlebitis. She was diagnosed with glaucoma at age 21 and has undergone multiple surgeries. She gives back by volunteering with the Glaucoma Research Foundation in
San Francisco, including opportunities to speak about glaucoma and raise awareness of this disease.
Layla Lohmann, DDS
Layla Lohmann, DDS
Layla Lohmann, DDS is a practicing dentist and the co-founder and Clinical Director of Apex Dental Partners. In addition to private practice, Dr. Lohmann has served on the clinical faculty for Texas A&M College of Dentistry. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Recently, Dr. Lohmann has become involved with Alliance for Patient Access and became a patient advocate for thyroid eye disease for Vision Health Advocacy Coalition.
Debra Schaumberg, OD, MPH, ScD
Debra Schaumberg, OD, MPH, ScD
Debra Schaumberg, ScD, OD, MPH brings to the medical affairs community >25 years of expertise and experience designing and leading research investigations spanning the spectrum of early clinical development through medical affairs. Currently, the Vice President, Epidemiology and Ophthalmology and Head of Strategic & Scientific Affairs at Evidera, Dr. Schaumberg previously served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and the University of Utah School of Medicine, as Global Medical Director for Ophthalmics and then Head of Medical Evidence at Shire. Dr. Schaumberg received her ScD from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health, research fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and OD summa cum laude from the Illinois College of Optometry.
Sponsor
SWHR’s Eye Health Program is supported by an educational sponsorship from Horizon Therapeutics. SWHR maintains editorial control and independence over educational content.
