July 24-27, 2023 | Denver, CO
Our Host Organizations
University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology
The University of Colorado’s Department of Ophthalmology is a pillar of the university’s School of Medicine, located at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus. The Anschutz Medical Campus is one of four campuses of the University of Colorado system. It sits on 230 acres in Aurora, Colorado, part of the Denver metro area, and includes the School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, College of Nursing, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Colorado School of Public Health and the Graduate School.
The CU Department of Ophthalmology partners closely with the nationally acclaimed Children's Hospital Colorado, UCHealth, and Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center on campus, along with programs and providers at Denver Health Medical Center. The Anschutz Medical Campus is considered to have top national programs in patient care and research, serving more than 1.7 million patients per year, educating nearly 20,000 students and attracting more than $500 million in research annually.
The Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center is one of the largest, state-of-the-art facilities in the country, serving patients across the Rocky Mountain region and the world. Our faculty performed more than 135,000 patient visits across all of our locations just last year, with nearly 15,000 in-office and operating room procedures. Our facilities now span a total of 126 examination rooms and 138,849 square feet across all five floors. Its Low Vision Rehabilitation Service at care by two, full-time optometric low vision specialists and two trained occupational therapists. A full range of evaluation tools, including microperimetry, is available, as is the full spectrum of treatment strategies. Care is provided for over 800 visually impaired patients per year. The program trains ophthalmology residents and works in cooperation with several community partners who provide evaluation and training in orientation and mobility, ADLs in the home, driving rehabilitation, pediatric care, and more.
Anchor Center for Blind Children
The Anchor Center for Blind Children provides early education and intervention services for children birth to five years old who are blind or visually impaired. Their team is passionate about transforming the lives of young children with visual impairments and is known for their transdisciplinary team approach to serving children and families. A gifted staff of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, Teaching Assistants, Speech and Language Pathologists, Physical, Occupational, Horticultural and Music Therapists, and Optometrists and Ophthalmologists move beyond a discipline-specific approach. Working collaboratively, they provide the best in early intervention and childhood education services for the remarkable children and families they serve.
Using a collaborative team approach, their Infant, Toddler, Preschool and Family Support programs allow the multidisciplinary Anchor Center team to fully support each child’s needs. Life skills are taught that prepare children for success in their school years and beyond.
The Anchor Center for Blind Children was founded in 1982 by a librarian from the Colorado Library for the Blind and the local Delta Gamma alumnae chapter. Their first class included four preschool students and six homebound infants. Today, the Anchor Center serves over 125 children each year while providing support and education to families, siblings and caregivers.
Volunteers were instrumental in Anchor Center's founding just as they continue to be today. With origins in a borrowed Sunday school room, Anchor Center moved to its state-of-the-art Julie McAndrews Mork Building in Denver's Stapleton neighborhood in 2007. Design elements focus on light, textures and sounds that encourage development. All classrooms are acoustically engineered to minimize noise and support sound cues. The Anchor Center building gives children a sense of security in their ability to navigate the world.
The Anchor Center for Blind Children is proud to have a Director of Research.
