Eye Health Program Offers Free Online Training

Community health workers who provide diabetes education often lack information on how this disease affects the eyes. In response, the National Eye Health Education Program of the National Eye Institute has developed a new interactive online training course to help CHWs better understand the eye complications that diabetes can bring.

The course uses animations, interactive features, and quizzes to teach participants about the anatomy of the eye, the effects of diabetes on vision, and the importance of getting a dilated eye exam.

The training course uses the Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit, which provides resources to educate communities about diabetic eye disease. Participants learn how to use the flipchart and lead an educational session for people who have diabetes. After completing the course, participants receive a personalized certificate.

This free training is ideal for busy health educators who want to help educate their communities about diabetic eye disease and the importance of eye health. To take the training and order the toolkit, visit: www.nei.nih.gov/diabetestoolkit.