The American Academy of Ophthalmology is a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

medical association A medical association or medical college is a trade association that brings together practitioners of a particular geographical area (a country, region, province). In common-law countries, they are often grouped by medical specialties ( cardiolo ...

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

s. It is headquartered in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Its membership of 32,000 medical doctors includes more than 90 percent of practicing ophthalmologists in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as well as over 7,000 members abroad. The academy's stated mission is "to protect sight and empower lives by serving as an advocate for patients and the public, leading ophthalmic education, and advancing the profession of

ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

History

The academy has its origins in the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (AAOO), founded in 1896 as a medical association of both

s and

otolaryngologist Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...

s. The Academy was founded when the AAOO split in 1979 and divided into separate academies for each specialty. Like most medical associations, the Academy collects dues, provides

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

and seminars for its members, including its four-day annual meeting. Outside the medical community it promotes

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

information. Also, like most other medical associations, the Academy takes

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a Group decision-making, decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to Problem solving, solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conceptio ...

stances on issues through

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

(carried out by its

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

–based Governmental Affairs Division). In 2006, the academy launched EyeSmart, a program to educate the public about the importance of eye health. The EyeSmart website, which was relaunched in 2016, provides ophthalmologist-reviewed information about eye diseases, conditions and injuries. In 2010, the academy sponsored the creation of

EyeWiki This is a list of medical wikis, collaboratively-editable websites that focus on medical information. Many of the most popular medical wikis take the form of encyclopedias, with a separate article for each medical term. Some of these websites, such ...

, a

wiki A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...

-model

Internet encyclopedia An online encyclopedia, also called an Internet encyclopedia, is a digital encyclopedia accessible through the Internet. Some examples include pre-World Wide Web services that offered the '' Academic American Encyclopedia'' beginning in 1980, Ency ...

of ophthalmology written and edited by ophthalmologists and "ophthalmologists-in-training".

References

External links

* *
American Academy of Ophthalmology
*
American Academy of Ophthalmology Ophthalmic News and Education Network

EyeWiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Academy Of Ophthalmology Medical associations based in the United States Ophthalmology in the United States Ophthalmology organizations Organizations based in San Francisco Scientific organizations established in 1896 Scientific organizations established in 1979 Eye care in the United States Medical and health organizations based in California