Proposed Bipartisan Legislation Would Create First Federally Funded Program to Address Children's Vision and Eye Health

The “Early Detection of Vision Impairments in Children (EDVI) Act,” introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to establish grants for states and communities to improve children’s vision and eye health through coordinated systems of care. It is a bipartisan proposal, co-sponsored by Congressional Vision Caucus (CVC) co-chairs U.S. reps. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) and Marc Veasey (TX-33). Companion legislation is expected to be introduced in the U.S. Senate.

Despite the presence of numerous public health programs that support early childhood development, including children’s hearing and oral health, there is currently no federally funded program in the U.S. that specifically addresses children's vision or that fosters a cohesive and equitable system of eye health for children.

Under the EDVI Act, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will award grants and cooperative agreements for states, communities, and tribes to implement approaches (such as vision screenings) for the early detection of vision concerns in children, referrals for eye exams, and follow-up mechanisms; identify barriers in access to eye care; reduce disparities in eye health; and/or develop state-based data collection, surveillance, and performance improvement systems.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Launches Avenova Product Bundles

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the introduction of an expanded line of Avenova product bundles specifically designed to provide easy, affordable, and effective solutions for individualized relief from dry eye symptoms.

In addition to Avenova spray, the Avenova over-the-counter product line includes the Avenova Eye Health Support antioxidant-rich oral supplement, Avenova Lubricating Eye Drops for instant relief, Avenova Warm Eye Compress to soothe the eyes, and the i-Chek by Avenova to monitor physical eyelid health. Avenova product bundles are now available on Avenova.com.

Heidelberg Engineering and Eye2Gene Announce Partnership

Eye2Gene, an artificial intelligence (AI) National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded project based at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Heidelberg Engineering announced a collaborative partnership. The partnership combines Eye2Gene’s AI algorithm for the prediction of inherited retinal disease genes with Heidelberg Engineering’s products, such as the Spectralis diagnostic imaging platform.