On Oct. 8, a nicely dressed crowd gathered to celebrate at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta — but the reason they were there had nothing to do with touchdowns or interceptions.
Instead, the roughly 500 in attendance were there to recognize community partnerships — like the longstanding relationship between the Georgia Lions Lighthouse and Emory Eye Center — a bond that has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of uninsured and under-insured Georgians to access top-notch eye screenings and follow-up care.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens joins the Emory Eye Center team at a free community eye screening.
During the sold-out fundraising gala,“Evening in the Endzone: A Night of Spectacles,” team members from the Emory Eye Center were on hand to receive the Grace Clower Community Partnership Award, which recognizes a “community partner who has provided invaluable contributions to the well-being of Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation’s clients and mission.”
And yes, maybe there was a little fanfare over football, too, as University of Georgia football legend and Super Bowl champion Kevin Butler, an active advocate for the foundation, presided over much of the evening’s program.
Emory Eye Center director Allen Beck, MD, accepted the award, beaming as he greeted presenter Kembra Smith, the Lions Clubs International director. In brief but powerful remarks to the crowd, Beck emphasized the importance of joining forces with the Lions to get out into the community.
“It’s important after you get screened (by the Lions) to have a doctor on the other side who’s willing to take that patient on and figure out what’s wrong and help them. Sometimes that’s glasses, sometimes that’s patching, sometimes it’s surgery or medication,” Beck said. With a nod to the award in his hand, he added, “I’m so thankful and honored on behalf of the whole team.”
The Emory Eye Center team was all smiles during the Georgia Lions Lighthouse event, "A Night of Spectacles," on Oct. 8. (Photo courtesy of Zirka Smith.)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 93 million adults in the United States are at high risk for serious vision loss, “but only half visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months.” This often leads to vision loss that would have been preventable if caught early and treated swiftly. As much as 90% of blindness in adults from severe diabetes would have been preventable with the proper treatment, per CDC.
Preventing or delaying vision loss is especially urgent in Georgia, where Emory research has found that residents in a third of all Georgia counties do not have ready access to an eye care provider. According to the Lighthouse, 1.4 million Georgians do not have health insurance, which puts the state’s uninsured rate as third highest in the country. In rural Georgia, those statistics are even bleaker.
Serving patients for the last 152 years, Emory ophthalmology has been around since the birth of eye care as we know it. It’s one of the oldest, and largest, academic eye centers in the country — and one of the longest standing health care services at Emory.
This map shows the critical need for enhanced eye care access across the state of Georgia. (Courtesy of the Emory Eye Center.)
The ophthalmology program was established in 1854, preceding the formal establishment of Emory University School of Medicine by over half a century. The Emory Eye Center has also presided over several significant milestones and breakthroughs, like the first eye corneal transplant in the Southeast.
Much of that distinguished history of innovation and compassionate care is intertwined with the Georgia Lions Lighthouse, which was founded 75 years ago to support access to eye care for all Georgians. The foundation has since donated over $1.7 million to support Emory Eye Center’s pediatric ophthalmology patient care and the efforts of collecting and managing cornea tissues to support corneal transplants.
Through their network of providers at institutions like Emory, which has with 60 ophthalmologists and a presence at both Grady Memorial Hospital and the VA Atlanta Healthcare Center, the Lighthouse offers free or low-cost eye screenings based on individual income level to tens of thousands of patients every year.
“This valued partnership began in 1964 when the Foundation began supporting the Georgia Lions Eye Bank,” said Beth Ehrhardt, Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation Executive Director. “It has continued to this day through collaborations with Georgia Vision 2020. This partnership is key to serving uninsured and underinsured Georgians across the state. We were pleased to honor the Emory Eye Center during our 75th anniversary celebratory year.”
A prime example of the Lions/Emory partnership in action is the work of the Emory Global Ophthalmology Program, led by Director and ophthalmologist Jacquelyn O’Banion, MD.
The program improves medical training, service capacity, and vision care for under-resourced populations in Georgia and around the world. Statewide, the Global team averages 240 screenings (with about 15 patients per screening) annually, thanks to support from active partners like the Lions.
Looking ahead, O’Banion said she is excited to continue strengthening the Lions collaboration, particularly in support of surgical programs and follow-up visits for children in need. Recently, the Lions received a grant from Johnson & Johnson to fund vision exams (which are follow-ups to screenings) for 10,000 children over the next two years.
Additionally, in six counties, the Lions have begun to bring screening efforts to area schools, where children receive two full days of follow-up vision exams as needed (if their initial screening flagged any eye issues).
“The Grace Clower Community Service Award demonstrates the commitment of the Emory Eye Center to the underserved patients in Georgia,” Beck said. “We are honored by the award and look forward to our continued partnership with the Georgia Lions Lighthouse.”