Draft:Lylas Mogk

Lylas Good Mogk, M.D. (born April 29, 1939) is an American ophthalmologist and author. She was the founding director of the Henry Ford Center for Vision Rehabilitation and Research in Detroit, Michigan. She has been recognized for her contributions as a leader in the field of low vision rehabilitation in the United States.

Background
Mogk holds a B.A. in English from Vassar College, an M.S. in Education from Indiana University and an M.D. from Wayne State University School of Medicine. She completed her ophthalmology residency at the Kresge Eye Institute. As an undergraduate, she was a nationally competitive gymnast. In the early 1960s, she lived in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she taught English at the Kabul Institute of Technology, a competitive high school for boys.

Medical Career
Mogk began practicing comprehensive ophthalmology in 1986. By 1990, age-related macular degeneration became by far the leading cause of vision loss among adults in the United States, a rapidly growing demographic. At that time no medical system offered rehabilitation for those with visual impairments, even though it had long been standard practice for patients with comparably serious functional deficits from other causes, such as strokes. Mogk sought to address this gap in care. Largely through her efforts, the first formal written policy for Medicare coverage of occupational therapy services for those with visual impairments was secured in 1997 in the regional Midwest. Four years later this policy became a model for establishing Medicare coverage nationally.

In 1997 Mogk became the founding director of the Henry Ford Center for Vision Rehabilitation and Research in Detroit, Michigan.The Center was among the first to pioneer the use of occupational therapists for low vision rehabilitation. Under Mogk’s leadership it became one of the largest programs of its kind in the country and a national model.

Mogk served as Chair of the Michigan Commission for the Blind, Advisory to the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind People, and as Chair of the Michigan Network for Vision Rehabilitation. She also served as Chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Vision Rehabilitation Committee where she led the effort to develop the definition of vision rehabilitation that was subsequently adopted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).

She is the co-author with her daughter Marja Mogk, Ph.D., of the book Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight (1996), which won the AER Literature Award and was endorsed by many leaders in the field.

She is first author on 30 publications in the field of low vision rehabilitation. She has presented named lectures at the Kresge Eye Institute and the Henry Ford Health System and delivered more than 90 professional presentations nationally and internationally on vision rehabilitation.

Awards
Mogk's work has been recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology with three distinguished service awards; She has also received the American Optometric Association Low Vision Distinguished Service Award; The AER Service Award; The Kresge Eyes Institute Distinguished Alumni Award; the Junior League of Detroit Distinguished Service Award; and the Oculus Award at Envision 2016. In 2011, she was awarded the Migel Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Foundation for the Blind. It was established in 1937 to recognize those whose dedication and achievements have significantly improved the lives of people with vision loss.

Personal
She married John E. Mogk in 1964. . They have three children and two grandchildren. They live in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.