EyeSustain: Pioneering specialty-specific sustainability
EyeSustain, launched on Earth Day 2022, is a multisociety-backed global initiative dedicated to making ophthalmology more sustainable. This initiative has grown into a comprehensive platform with over 50 member societies worldwide and sponsorship from major organizations including ASCRS, ESCRS, and the AAO. Its website, EyeSustain.org, offers specialty-specific tools, research, and resources covering OR and clinic waste reduction, drug waste advocacy, ocular health impacts of climate change, and lessons from low-resource settings — where excellent surgical outcomes are achieved with a fraction of the carbon footprint seen in high-income countries.
The initiative's real-world impact is already measurable. The article highlights Dr. David Palmer's advocacy efforts, which led to landmark legislation in Illinois allowing patients to take home intraoperative eye drops for postoperative use. His initial efforts inspired other ophthalmologists to replicate his success in Arizona, Delaware, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Colorado, and ultimately receive endorsement by the AMA and AAO. EyeSustain has also partnered with industry to replace paper IFUs in IOL packaging with QR codes, eliminating thousands of reams of paper annually. With a carbon footprint calculator, institutional waste-reduction pledges, and a growing medical student committee, EyeSustain provides ophthalmologists at every career stage with actionable steps to reduce waste, cut costs, and lead meaningful change — offering a blueprint other specialties are already beginning to follow.