As a physician, you know the serious damage diabetic retinopathy can cause. You also know that, unfortunately, more than half of those with diabetes don’t even take the most basic step to protect their vision: getting an annual dilated eye exam. That’s a trend the Academy, with its partners the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Macula Society and the Retina Society, hopes to change, through a new component of the EyeSmart™ public awareness campaign called EyeSmart EyeCommitted.

The message is simple: an annual dilated eye exam and the appropriate treatment can help prevent vision loss in people with diabetes. More than just a message, however, EyeCommitted is built around a campaign to have diabetics pledge to actually get that annual eye exam. The centerpiece of this effort is an interactive pledge application – a small Web component or “widget” that people can add to their blogs or Web sites. The widget:

• Encourages visitors to make the EyeCommitted pledge to have an annual eye exam;
• Allows users to share the pledge and campaign information with friends and family; and
• Features important diabetic eye disease information, including a new video in which two patients with diabetic retinopathy tell their stories.

You can “grab” this widget at www.geteyesmart.org/eyecommitted and place it on your practice Web site or your personal Facebook page or blog.

Other Ways to Get Involved
Update your practice’s EyeSmart materials to include the new EyeSmart EyeCommitted resources, available at www.aao.org/eyesmartcampaign.

For your office:

• New free diabetic eye disease poster, which highlights the importance of annual dilated eye exams.

For your practice newsletter or Web site:

• An article describing the EyeCommitted initiative
• A Web button for linking your site to the EyeSmart Web site

For local media:

• A template press release you can use for media outreach to educate the public in your own community

If your practice does not yet participate in the EyeSmart campaign, get started with the FREE EyeSmart office kit and the eye injury kit, which together provide the full range of posters, info cards and more to help you educate your patients about eye diseases, injuries and infections.

Thank you for your involvement with EyeSmart!

If you have any further questions, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

EyeSmart
Brought to you by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and EyeCare America
655 Beach Street | San Francisco, CA 94109
www.geteyesmart.org