‘Time Is Vision’ Educational Curriculum Launches with Goal to Minimize Vision Loss and Prevent Blindness in Millions of American Adults

‘Time Is Vision’ represents an expansion of the highly successful partnership between Prova Education and the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health in which more than 96,000 clinicians participated in education on retinal disease.

Fort Washington, PA | April 26, 2021

Millions of Americans are at risk for vision loss or blindness due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Because this represents a major public health burden, many eye health professionals can benefit from critical education on the importance of proactively addressing early referral, diagnosis, and management—the three most important components to optimizing eye health.

‘Time Is Vision’ is an interactive, accredited curriculum that pinpoints the importance of taking early and proactive steps. “It is very important to diagnose and treat these diseases early,” said Julia Haller, MD, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and William Tasman, MD Endowed Chair at Wills Eye Hospital, and Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. “We know that early therapy improves not only visual outcomes but also quality of life.”

“This curriculum uses branched-learning through which users test their diagnostic skills and decision making. The emphasis on using cases and images for learning is really important.”

“More than 11 million people in the United States are affected by eye diseases, including AMD, RVO, and diabetic retinopathy,” said Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD, Director of Research, Retina Consultants of Texas, and Deputy Chair for Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital. “This curriculum uses branched-learning through which users test their diagnostic skills and decision making. The emphasis on using cases and images for learning is really important,” said Wykoff.

The initiative can be accessed at eyehealthacademy.org/timeisvision and is designed to address educational gaps in retina specialists, ophthalmologists, optometrists, ophthalmologic nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

Prova Education, the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) developed the curriculum to educate thousands of clinicians on the importance of proactively addressing eye health issues. Curriculum Steering Committee members include Dr. Haller and Dr. Wykoff, along with Emily Chew MD, Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications (DECA), at the National Eye Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and Chief of the Clinical Trials Branch; and Mark T. Dunbar, OD, FAAO, Director of Optometric Services at Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

The initiative is funded through an educational grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

About Prova Education

Prova Education delivers integrated, lifelong learning opportunities that lead to improvements in clinician competence and performance, with the aim of improving patient outcomes. Its multi-platform educational network includes live meetings, online activities, social media, radio broadcasts, print media, and more. Its global footprint includes educational endeavors and strategic partnerships in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. More information is available at www.ProvaEducation.com.