Health promotion and disease prevention in ophthalmology

There is a new trend in the US government's perception regarding health care today. It involves an increased awareness of how disease can be prevented and health promoted. The US government is supporting this concept with its Healthy People 2000 project. Specific pediatric concerns about health promotion and disease prevention in ophthalmology include amblyopia and strabismus, ophthalmia neonatorum, ocular trauma, radiation injury, xerophthalmia, herpes simplex, herpes zoster, infections and metabolic and genetic disorders. Adult health promotion/disease prevention priorities include glaucoma; trauma; diabetic retinopathy; corneal problems; iatrogenic infections; exposure keratitis; ocular toxicity from drugs, chemicals, and the environment; visual loss from neglect; and those mentioned in the pediatric area.