Grassroots Vision Screenings in Black Communities

Dr. Nishan Pressley, OD, is an optometrist advancing eye health in the Black community. During her optometry training, she was the first and only Black woman in the optometry program. Years later, the lack of Black representation in eye care remains a persistent challenge.

The National Eye Institute reports that Black Americans have the highest rate of blindness and vision loss from eye disease in the US. By 2030, more than 1 million are expected to have diabetic retinopathy. The Houston Defender revealed that about 190,000 Black people are living with visual impairment in the US, while the Glaucoma Research Foundation reports that glaucoma strikes the Black community earlier than other races, and it progresses faster when compared to whites.

The statistics, and the lived reality, highlight a significant gap in prevention and care. Dr. Pressley, speaking at the Future of Personal Health, emphasized, “The biggest thing is, we don’t have enough of us in optometry.” According to Dr. Pressley, this is why our community lacks care when discussing preventable eye diseases.

Presently, in many Black communities, we do not seek eye care until vision is lost or in a terrible state. Therefore, there is a need for a community-based eye health education and screening program.

We need to close this gap by bringing awareness to where we live, worship, and learn. Churches, schools, and nonprofits are best positioned to help bridge this gap because they are trusted, accessible, and deeply rooted in the community.

Why Community-Based Eye Health Programs Matter and Steps to Take

Community-based eye health programs offer significant benefits. Among them:

They support early detection of eye disease, helping to preserve vision
They promote health equity by reducing disparities within Black communities
They strengthen the economy, as good vision supports productivity and independence

The following practical steps can help guide the development and implementation of effective community-based eye health programs:

Step 1: Assess Community Needs

Before implementing a community-based eye health program, we need to understand what is unique to the Black community and what they need.

Key things to consider:

The demography affected
Required optometrists or ophthalmologists
Cost

How to assess need:

Conduct a short survey in churches and schools
Speak with the local health workers

Step 2: Define Clear Goals and Scope

The problem will always be there, but a focused program can realistically offer a solution to specific matters. For this type of program, we can focus on:

Eye health education workshops
Basic vision screening
Referrals to eye care professionals
Follow-up support for glasses or treatment

For school, it can focus on annual vision screening for kids and parent education, while the church program targets adults for screening.

Step 3: Build Strategic Partnerships

A single person or organization cannot do this type of program. A partnership is needed for a broad reach, credibility, skills, and sustainability. Also, a community-based program offering eye exams should ALWAYS include registered eye doctors. Potential partners should include:

Optometrists and ophthalmologists
Teaching hospitals or eye clinics
Nursing schools or public health departments
NGOs focused on blindness prevention
Optical companies or pharmacies

Step 4: Train Volunteers and Staff

The backbone of community outreach is community volunteers. They must not be eye specialists, but need to be adequately trained. Things to cover should include:

Basic eye health knowledge
How to conduct visual acuity screening
Hygiene and infection control
Data collection and confidentiality
Referral procedures
Patient privacy
How to be culturally sensitive to needs on race, class, gender, and economics

Step 5: Plan Logistics and Resources

For this type of program, careful planning is essential to achieve success. The following should be planned for:

Venue
Screening tools
Registration and record-keeping system
Privacy area for the screen
Crowd flow and time management

Step 6: Deliver Eye Health Education

Education is just as important as screening. When people recognize the importance of their health, they are more likely to get screened. For education to be effective, the following must be done:

Keep talk short during church services or assemblies
Interactive Q&A sessions
Posters and flyers should have a simplified message
Give opportunity for testimonies from individuals who benefited from early eye care

Step 7: Conduct Vision Screening

Screening is the best way to identify people in our community who need further evaluation. People being screened must know that screening is not the same as diagnosis. Some of the screening that can be done should include:

Simple eye health observation
Near vision check for adults
Distance visual acuity test

Step 8: Establish Referral and Follow-Up Systems

A screening program without follow-up will have limited impact. An effective follow-up should include clear referral slips with clinic details, reminder calls or messages, and transportation support.

Putting the Right Systems in Place for Impact

In the words of Dr. Pressley, “If you have a family history of glaucoma, we need to be checking you every single year. If you have a family history of macular degeneration, you should be getting checked every single year, sometimes every six months.” A community-based eye health education and screening program can help us get our community members screened. It is practical, impactful, and achievable.

But here is the truth from Elevate Black Health: this cannot be done by one person. The Black community must leverage strategic partnerships and trust using churches, schools, and nonprofits to help prevent avoidable vision loss.

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