Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center

In partnership with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the largest ophthalmic organization in the world, your Knights Templar Eye Foundation built the Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center (the Education Center) to address a large and growing burden of vision loss.

Globally, more than 285 million people are blind or visually impaired. Childhood blindness is among the top five causes of vision loss worldwide, with an estimated 500,000 children becoming blind each year—and nearly half of all childhood blindness is preventable with interventions using existing knowledge. The Education Center exists to ensure that a lack of ophthalmic educational resources is never the reason a child loses sight.

Housed within the Academy’s clinical education site, the ONE® Network, the Education Center launched in November 2015 with more than 100 chapters and a vast surgical video library developed by a network of volunteer pediatric ophthalmologists. In the decade since, with continued support, the Education Center has grown into a comprehensive, mobile-ready resource serving residents, fellows, mid-career practitioners, and international training programs.

A Decade of Growth (November 2015 – June 2025)

  • Five interactive simulators, including the Strabismus Simulator and Complex Strabismus Simulator, the Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Case-Based Trainer, Retinoscopy Simulator, and the new VR Simulation Program, together tallying more than 800,000 visits

  • 60 additional clinical chapters and nearly 800 new surgical videos and expert interviews

  • A quarterly webinar series co-hosted with the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Council (IPOSC), attended by 2,500 clinicians annually

  • The AAO Ophthalmic Education mobile app, now used by 30,000 ophthalmologists and clinicians worldwide on iOS and Android

Global Reach

The Education Center has been visited by 3.8 million users across 215 countries, generating 6 million page views. Although the United States accounts for roughly a third of traffic, the remainder comes from around the world—led by India, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, and Egypt—reaching pediatric ophthalmologists in the regions where the burden of childhood blindness is greatest, including many countries with Subordinate Commanderies.

What’s New and What’s Next

In the past year alone, the Academy published more than 100 new articles, videos, and continuing medical education (CME) activities across the spectrum of pediatric ophthalmic care. Building on the Education Center’s simulation work, the VR Simulation Program for ROP launched in November 2024 and was honored with a 2025 BOLD Award for “Transforming Pediatric Ophthalmic Training.” A desktop version followed in April 2025, and in 2026 the Academy will release an updated VR program that extends to other retinal diseases that disproportionately affect children.

The Education Center continues to teach the full arc of pediatric ophthalmic practice: basic science principles, pathology and pathogenesis of disease, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, medical and surgical management, risk and complications management, patient instructions, and outcomes assessment.

Visit: http://www.aao.org/pediatric-ophthalmology-strabismus

Through the Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation is making a measurable difference in eye care for children worldwide, equipping the clinicians who treat them with the knowledge, skills, and tools to prevent avoidable blindness.