The American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) is a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

medical association of

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

s. It is headquartered in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

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

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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 a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

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 subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

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 (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

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 det ...

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

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

stances on issues through

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencie ...

(carried out by its

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

-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 an online hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience, using a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages for the subjects or scope of the project, and could be either open to the pu ...

-model

Internet encyclopedia An online encyclopedia, also called an Internet encyclopedia, or a digital encyclopedia, is an encyclopedia accessible through the internet. Examples include Wikipedia and ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Digitization of old content In January 199 ...

of ophthalmology that is 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 organizations Organizations based in San Francisco Organizations established in 1896 Scientific organizations established in 1979 Eye care in the United States Medical and health organizations based in California