CHICAGO–Prevent Blindness, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety organization, and the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) announced that Sean P. Donahue, MD, PhD, is the recipient of the third annual Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award.

Established by the NCCVEH Advisory Committee to commemorate Bonnie Strickland and her groundbreaking work to establish a comprehensive system for children’s vision in the U.S., the award recognizes significant efforts to improve children’s vision and eye health at the state or national level. The award was presented at the NCCVEH Annual Meeting on Aug. 5, 2017, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Donahue, a professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt University, was selected by the volunteer Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award Committee for his efforts to improve children’s vision through stakeholder engagement, volunteer coordination, and advancement of vision screening technology.

Some of his contributions to children’s vision and eye health include establishing a partnership with the Tennessee Lions Club to develop a vision screening program targeting preschool-aged children, increasing available published scientific articles driving the use of evidence-based automated vision screening practices and promoting collaboration across professional stakeholder groups to develop uniform best practices in vision screening methodology.

“By detecting vision problems in children as early as possible, we can improve the opportunity for success in school and athletics, and even protect sight into adulthood,” said Donahue.

“Prevent Blindness commends Dr. Donahue for his outstanding efforts to improve the vision and eye health of children across the country,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We hope his research and program success will serve as a platform for other vision leaders to learn from and build on across the country.”