Alliance for Vision Research Joins VHAC Stakeholder Meeting

The Alliance for Vision Research joined fellow members of the Vision Health Advocacy Coalition (VHAC) this week for its Stakeholder Meeting, bringing together leaders from across the vision community to discuss shared advocacy priorities, challenges affecting access to care, and opportunities for greater collaboration in 2027.

VHAC, a coalition of the Alliance for Patient Access, brings together stakeholders committed to advancing patient-centered policies that support access to vision care, treatments, services, and innovation. For the Alliance for Vision Research, participation provides an important opportunity to ensure that vision research and the federal policies that support scientific discovery remain part of the broader conversation about improving patients’ vision and eye health.

The meeting included discussions on the current policy environment in Washington, the Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children (EDVI) Act, the payer landscape, insurance barriers affecting vision care, and a needs assessment and planning discussion focused on priorities for 2027.

These conversations reflect the interconnected nature of the vision ecosystem. Scientific discovery is the foundation for new diagnostics, treatments, technologies, and approaches to care, but innovation only fulfills its promise when it ultimately reaches the patients who need it.

Partnerships like VHAC also strengthen the collective voice of the vision community. By bringing together organizations with expertise spanning research, patient advocacy, clinical care, access, and policy, the coalition creates opportunities to identify common priorities and advocate more effectively for policies that protect and improve vision.

For the Alliance for Vision Research, that collaboration is an important part of asking policymakers to #SeeWhatMatters: sustained investment in research, continued innovation, access to high-quality care, and policies that make vision and eye health a national priority.

“We are strongest when the vision community brings its different perspectives and expertise together around shared goals,” said Judy Hill, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer for the Alliance for Vision Research. “Our participation in VHAC helps us connect the importance of research and discovery with the ultimate goal we all share—protecting sight and improving patients’ lives.”