Patient Summit - glaucoma.org

Glaucoma Patient Summit

The Glaucoma Patient Summit is an annual event that highlights advances in treatment options and provides practical information to help people understand and live with glaucoma.

June 23 – 24, 2023

How Can Patients Become Partners?
Discover the difference one day can make when glaucoma patients gather to share their experiences, learn about glaucoma care from the experts, and take charge of their own vision health.

Video Transcript

Brizette Castellanos: In your opinion, why are events like the Patient Summit important?

Ben Grass: It’s so important because not only does it educate and provide questions and answers, but it provides a community. Right? This is a patient community attending this event that you can talk amongst yourselves and gain insights about best practices, how everybody’s coping. In a way it’s very supportive, on top of just being aware of the new directions and that hope and optimism of a cure on the horizon.

Barbara Wirostko, MD: I’ve been so impressed by this organization. I’m really in awe of all the patients that actually have come from all over the country to learn, and to listen, and really become an advocate for themselves, and know what they can do differently to help better understand glaucoma. And it’s just such a great way I think for us as clinicians also to see the patient’s perspective.

Julie Grutzmacher: I think it’s really important, especially on the heels of the pandemic, to bring people together in person and be in community to learn so many new things. You know, the cutting-edge research, advancements in technology, and then to meet clinicians and researchers, but also to meet other individuals who have glaucoma as well. There’s immense power in meeting people and coming together in community, especially when it comes to advocacy.

Tad Heitmann: It’s really great to see local clinicians coming to the program, talking about their work, working very hard to help patients understand how they can take control of their treatment and be more successful in their treatment by being their own advocate, by knowing what questions to ask. And there’s a nice dynamic going on in the room now with questions and answers, and people meeting each other. It’s a wonderful program.

Phillip Van Lear: The information that you get at a Patient Summit like this is invaluable. And the encouragement that you get from listening to subject matter experts, from researchers, from ophthalmologists, is just going to inform you, and make you feel more comfortable, and truly get you excited about how you can better deal, live, not just survive but thrive, with the disease of glaucoma.

End transcript.

watch PATIENT SUMMIT VIDEOS

“When you’re here in person and you see the passion behind this event, it really puts you in a place where you realize, oh, something is actually happening. Someone actually cares about me and everyone else who has this disease.”
— Hannah Eckstein
“As a patient, I’ve come to understand that it’s important to know as much as you can about glaucoma. The Glaucoma Patient Summit gave me the opportunity to learn from ophthalmologists, from other patients, and from drug representatives.”
— Rebecca Vilendrer
“The Summit introduces participants to the important steps that are available to get the most out of doctor appointments, to understand when a second opinion might be necessary, and to realize when it’s time to see a glaucoma sub-specialist.”
— A. Sydney Williams, MD
“Any way that GRF can educate patients is a phenomenal thing. I’m amazed at the turnout at the Summit and I think it’s a great event. It’s been super helpful, especially for someone like me.”
— David Epstein
“Hearing patient stories from the panelists was great, and I think their stories encompassed everything that a glaucoma patient has thought or wondered or had concerns about. I would absolutely come to the Glaucoma Patient Summit every year.”
— Colleen Silveira

Event Information

June 23 – 24, 2023
Hilton Long Beach
Long Beach, California

The 5th annual Glaucoma Research Foundation Patient Summit will highlight advances in treatment options and practical information to help patients understand and live with glaucoma. Summit speakers include leading glaucoma specialists, patients, and caregivers.

Sessions and topics at the 5th annual Glaucoma Patient Summit will include: