April 30, 2024 — Prevent Blindness has announced Mission for Vision (MFV) as the recipient of the 2024 Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health. Additionally, Prevent Blindness named Erica Shelton, O.D., M.S., FAAO, clinical instructor and Ph.D. candidate at the Ohio State University College of Optometry, as the recipient of the fifth annual Rising Visionary Award.
Both recipients will present at the 13th annual Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Summit, set to take place virtually July 10-11.
Serving as a living memorial to Jenny Pomeroy, CEO of Prevent Blindness Georgia from 1996 to 2013, the Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health honors an individual, group, or organization for significant contributions to vision and eye health to advance public health. Since its inception in 2000, MFV has helped 19.7 million people in India by establishing 24 secondary/tertiary eye hospitals and 153 vision centers in addition to training more than 700 allied ophthalmic personnel, each capable of serving at least 1,500 patients annually.
“Sight is the most central of our senses. We are delighted and humbled that Mission for Vision’s endeavors towards a better life for communities through good eye health has been appreciated and acknowledged through an award established to commemorate the exceptional vision of the distinguished Jenny Pomeroy,” says MFV founder Jagdish Chanrai. “It is an immense honor for us, and it underscores our vision and steadfast commitment towards the eradication of needless blindness and visual impairment.”
The Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award recognizes a current student, intern, or resident of a health-related field in the U.S. based on an essay based on the Focus on Eye Health Summit theme. For this year’s theme of “Being Seen and Heard,” Dr. Shelton described significant successes in supporting strong school-based vision programs. She noted that providing accessible vision care to children provides opportunities to improve vision health literacy in families, thus fostering a culture that appreciates the importance of vision care across all ages.
“I would like to thank my mentors and colleagues…for their continued support in my work over the years, including providing externship opportunities at school-based vision programs,” says Dr. Shelton. “My externship experience at the Oyler School Vision Clinic in Cincinnati, Ohio, introduced me to the importance and value of school-based vision programs.”