Amar’e Stoudemire (l) and Paul Berman, OD, address attendees about eye safety and protection in sports.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Better Vision Institute (BVI), an advisory board to The Vision Council made up of all three Os, recently tackled the need for greater awareness about eye safety and protection at its third annual Vision Summit here.

During the Summit, Paul Berman, OD, received the 2009 Visionary Award for his lifetime dedication to promoting sports eye protection. Berman, team optometrist for the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils, is also founder and director of Special Olympics Opening Eyes, a program serving the visual needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

A spokesperson for the meeting was Amar’e Stoudemire, a forward for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Phoenix Suns and a four-time NBA All-Star. Stoudemire—who suffered a season-ending detached retina injury, and has vowed to wear eye protection for the rest of his career—is working to spread a message of eye safety. His efforts included a satellite media tour from the National Press Club here, giving radio and television interviews to promote the eye-safety campaign.

“There is no doubt in my mind that if I had kept wearing protective eyewear, I would have prevented my eye injury,” Stoudemire said. “I am committed to wearing protective eyewear any time I am on the court, and I encourage all athletes to do the same.”

“We know that 90 percent of eye injuries are avoidable if proper eye protection is worn,” said Tom Abbott, optician and chair of the Better Vision Institute. “By bringing together experts in the vision protection field we can draw on each others’ areas of expertise to really make a difference.”

The BVI Vision Summit brought together vision experts including researchers, eyecare practitioners and policy experts to examine the latest data on vision protection, addressing four key areas: work, home, sports and UV. Attendees left the meeting with new tools, resources and contacts to help them to increase awareness of eye protection in their communities.

More information about the speakers and research presented at the Summit is available at www.bettervisioninstitute.org. ■