Imagine needing vision care but not being able to get the care you need because you don't know where to find an ophthalmologist or struggle to find reliable transportation to get to an eye care center. Additionally, many healthcareorganizations conduct vision screenings but oftentimes lack the resources to get their patient to a provider for follow-up treatment. The patient is left with a known vision condition that needs to be diagnosed, cared for, and treated but has no method of finding that care.
Unfortunately, these are some of the common challenges many rural Georgians or low-income, at-risk individuals routinely face.
The Georgia Vision Network (GVN) was organized by Emory Eye Center ophthalmologist (and GO-E director) Jacquelyn O'Banion, MD, MSc. as a way to fight back.
Together with Georgia Vision 2020, GVN is developing a web of care that connects patients in need of eye care services with eye care professionals and organizations equipped to provide those services.
Everyone deserves access to
quality vision care,
says O'Banion.
The state of
Georgia is very spread out and has a
very poor public transportation
system. Just because someone lives in
a rural area shouldn't mean they can't
be provided with a basic level of care
from an eye professional.
Another issue we've noticed is
that many patients can't drive to the
eye doctor especially if they have a
debilitating condition such as diabetes
or age-related macular degeneration.
This places a limit on how they can
receive the care they need.
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