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Vision Center of Excellence

The Defense Health Agency's (DHA) Vision Center of Excellence (VCE) manages various programs and activities.

Our main goals:

  • Improve vision health
  • Optimize readiness
  • Enhance quality of life for service members and veterans

We work to:

  • Promote collaboration 
  • Facilitate integration 
  • Advocate for vision across the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health systems

In partnership with:

  • Federal health care organizations
  • Academic partners
  • Private sector institutions

Our cooperation with these and other groups helps us develop our research priorities and quality care initiatives.

Congressional Mandate

The VCE was created by Congress through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to address military eye injuries. This includes:

  • Prevention
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
  • Rehabilitation 
  • Visual system disorders including:
    • Vision problems linked to traumatic brain injury

We also established the Defense and Veterans Eye Injury and Vision RegistryLearn more about DVEIVR (DVEIVR). This registry keeps track of eye injury data over time from the DOD and VA medical records.

Operational Structure

Our organization reports to two offices:

  • DHA Research and Engineering Directorate
  • VA Office of Patient Care Services

A Branch Chief and a Deputy Branch Chief oversee our organization. They work with other DOD and VA groups to plan the organization's future.

Prevention, Diagnosis, Mitigation, Treatment & Rehabilitation

We strive to prevent, treat, and help patients recover from visual system injuries and conditions. We work with the VA and their partners to improve eye health for all service members and veterans. We accomplish this through:

  • Research prioritization and translation
  • Requirement assessment and data analysis
  • Clinical educational support
  • Defense & Veterans Eye Injury and Vision Registry (DVEIVR)

Looking Ahead

As a primary source of eye care for service members and veterans, we plan to ensure that care is coordinated in the best way possible. We've made progress in key areas to improve the eye health and vision of injured service members and veterans.

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Publication
Oct 8, 2024

Nov. 14, 2024, TBICoE QES Event: Optimizing Hearing and Vision Recovery Care

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Join TBICoE as we explore point of injury testing to help identify vision and hearing problems after a TBI. Subject matter experts will discuss available tools, therapy options, and current resources to maximize a patient's recovery of sensory systems.

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TBICoE Quarterly Education Series: Optimizing Hearing and Vision Recovery Care

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Assessing Information: Assistive Technology for People experiencing Vision Loss (audio description)

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This video will introduce you to how people with blindness or low vision can access information and be productive using assistive technology; and will present different types of software, specialized devices, and widely available options that may help them access information to be productive and efficient, and get back doing the things they want to do.

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Accessing Information: Assistive Technology for People Experiencing Vision Loss

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This video will introduce you to how people with blindness or low vision can access information and be productive using assistive technology; and will present different types of software, specialized devices, and widely available options that may help them access information to be productive and efficient, and get back doing the things they want to do.

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Jun 19, 2024

DHA Practice Recommendation Post Concussion and mTBI

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This Practice Recommendation helps eye care providers. It helps them diagnose and treat patients of all ages with vision and eye movement problems after a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). It includes: A questionnaire about concussion/mTBI history*. Recommended steps for diagnosis and treatment. Tips for rehabilitation and referral ...

Last Updated: September 30, 2024
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