March 22, 2019

Optometry for Australia

Maureen O'Keefe
CEO
Organisation: Australian College of Optometry
I am very proud of the strong public health eye care services, education and vision research carried out by the Australian College of Optometry towards improving eye health outcomes for the communities we support. The ACO was established nearly 80 years ago and we carry out around 75,000 eye care consultations annually. ACO works towards…

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March 22, 2019

Optometry for all

Scott Mundle
President
Organisation: World Council of Optometry
Witnessing a patient’s expression, the first time they are able to see clearly – it’s an amazing moment - a moment that is not quickly forgotten! Having practised optometry for 36 years, that moment has never diminished for me. As World Council of Optometry President, I am calling on the optometric profession to come together…

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March 22, 2019

Developing the building blocks of optometry

Brien Holden Vision Institute
Many say capacity building is the engine of human development. We believe developing global capacity is about creating and enabling transformations that empower the individuals, as much as the communities they service. Today as we celebrate World Optometry Day, we encourage you to pause to reflect on the fact that optometry, as a profession, is…

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March 22, 2019

Positive impact of refractive services

Robert Chappell
Chair IAPB Refractive Error Work Group
Organisation: World Council of Optometry
Uncorrected refractive error remains the major cause (43% ) of the 217 million people with medium to severe visual impairment at distance and an estimated 1.1 billion with near vision impairment. This means millions of people being functionally blind due to lack of access to spectacles resulting in lost education and employment opportunities, lower productivity…

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March 22, 2019

Eyeglasses Improve Quality of Life and Work Productivity

Ella Gudwin
President
Organisation: VisionSpring
“I was always afraid that due to blurred vision I may lose my job,” confides Hafiza, a sewing machine operator in Bangladesh. “I would continue working even with minor injuries to my fingers caused by the needle.” Hafiza is not alone in her struggle to work with blurry vision. Globally, one-third of workers have uncorrected…

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March 22, 2019

An optometrist’s role at the intersection of good vision and road safety

Kristan Gross
Global Executive Director
Organisation: Vision Impact Institute
On World Optometry Day, Kristan Gross on an optometrist’s role at the intersection of good vision and road safety. Today we mark World Day of Optometry and shine a spotlight on optometrists around the world who play a critical role in ensuring good vision for everyone — everywhere. When we address how quality vision care…

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March 22, 2019

Optometrists – an essential piece of the puzzle to achieve comprehensive eye health

Sabine Rehbichler
International Director Programmes, Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships
Organisation: Light for the World
On World Optometry Day, Sabine Rehbichler on why optometrists are an essential piece of the puzzle to achieve comprehensive eye health... Light for the World strives towards improved access to universal and comprehensive eye health in its partner countries. As all stakeholders in the field know, this is not always highest on the agenda of…

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March 22, 2019

Advocating for our children’s vision – the job falls to us

Hasan Minto
Chair, IAPB School Eye Health Working Group, Global Programs Director, Our Children Vision, and Program Director, Child Eye Health & Low Vision, Brien Holden Vision Institute
Organisation: The Brien Holden Vision Institute
Millions upon millions of children are without vision care, on World Optometry Day, Hasan Minto on the need for advocacy and why the job falls to us... Millions upon millions of children are without vision care – and for them the issue is pressing. This we know. What we are currently working towards is the…

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March 22, 2019

Achieving Scale: the real challenge for Optometry

Prof. Kovin Naidoo
Senior Vice President of Inclusive Business, Philanthropy and Social Impact
Organisation: Essilor
It is important on World Optometry Day we take stock of the relevance and impact of the Optometry profession. Many of us have spent years involved in various eye care projects and campaigns to increase access to refractive services, a key responsibility of optometric services. However the fact that there are still 2.5 billion people…

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March 18, 2019

Nominations open for Her Abilities Award 2019

IAPB
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is an alliance of civil society organisations, corporates and professional bodies promoting eye health through advocacy, knowledge and partnerships.
Organisation: IAPB

Nominations are open for Her Abilities Award 2019. The global award launched in 2018 to celebrate the achievements of women with disabilities in the areas of Health & Education, Rights, Arts, Culture, and Sports. The last day to send nominations is 21 June 2019. Her Abilities, a Light for the World initiative, is inspired and…

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March 18, 2019

Vacancy: Eye Health Officer (Ghana)

IAPB
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is an alliance of civil society organisations, corporates and professional bodies promoting eye health through advocacy, knowledge and partnerships.
Organisation: IAPB

Vision for a Nation Foundation (VFAN) is looking to fill the position of an Eye Health Officer in Ghana. The successful candidate must have the legal right to live and work in Ghana indefinitely. The purpose of the Eye Health Officer is to support the Eye Health Lead to train Ghana Health Service (GHS) staff to…

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March 14, 2019

In Search of a Smart Silent Thief

Abdullahi Sadiq Mohammed
Glaucoma Specialist
Organisation: National Eye Centre, Kaduna, Nigeria
For World Glaucoma Week, Dr Abdullahi Sadiq Mohammed takes to fiction to illustrate glaucoma's impact! Family members of a renowned Professor of medicine are yet to recover from the tragedy that had befallen them following a devastating and heart-breaking theft that resulted in a total loss of vision. It was a theft in broad daylight…

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March 14, 2019

Glaucoma in South Korea

Sangchul Yoon
Ophthalmologist
Organisation: Severance Hospital
South Korea has been collecting epidemiological data regarding eye health from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) since 2008. A considerable amount of scientific articles have been published from this data about an ethnically homogeneous population with high myopia and prevalence of various eye diseases. The results of the survey emphasize the…

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March 14, 2019

Overcoming Barriers and Scaling Glaucoma Treatment in Africa

Scott Lawrence
Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Kellogg Eye Center for International Ophthalmology and Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Tennessee
Organisation: Kellogg Eye Center for International Ophthalmology
For World Glaucoma Week, Dr Scott Lawrence, Kellogg Eye Center for International Ophthalmology (KECIO) at the University of Michigan, writes about the three "As" of Glaucoma care in Africa. I had recently moved from my comfortable academic practice in the United States to work full-time in Ethiopia when SG, a 45-year-old mother of three young children, pushed…

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March 14, 2019

Paediatric Glaucoma: Global Challenges and Emerging Solutions

Alana L. Grajewski
Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Director of The Samuel & Ethel Balkan International Pediatric Glaucoma Center
Organisation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami
For World Glaucoma Week, Dr. Alana L. Grajewski, Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Director of The Samuel & Ethel Balkan International Pediatric Glaucoma Center at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at University of Miami discusses global challenges and emerging solutions for pediatric glaucoma. Paediatric glaucoma, also known as childhood glaucoma, is a group of diseases that…

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March 12, 2019

Sub-Specialty Training is Key to Addressing Glaucoma

Angelia Rorison
Communications Manager
Organisation: Himalayan Cataract Project
For World Glaucoma Week, Angelia Rorison, Himalayan Cataract Project on why sub-Specialty Training is key to Addressing Glaucoma. Access to eye care services is one of the biggest challenges to providing glaucoma treatment in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in rural areas. Routine eye exams and basic treatment are often unavailable. Both are crucial components…

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March 12, 2019

3rd International Glaucoma Symposium at Eye Foundation Hospital

Frances Unuode
Executive Assistant
Organisation: Eye Foundation Hospital
For World Glaucoma Week, Eye Foundation Hospital Group on their glaucoma symposium, discussing the priorities they identify in Africa... As we mark World Glaucoma Week 2019, we note the ongoing efforts and collaborations aimed at tackling the menace of Glaucoma in Nigeria. Glaucoma remains one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is…

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March 12, 2019

Glaucoma in Latin America

Fabian Lerner
Professor and Head of Ophthalmology, University Favaloro School of Medical Sciences and President-Elect World Glaucoma Association
Organisation: University Favaloro School of Medical Sciences
For World Glaucoma Week, Dr Fabian Lerner discusses glaucoma in Latin America—a region where prevalence is poorly understood... Little is known about the prevalence of glaucoma in Latin America, as very few population-based studies are published in the literature. Moreover, there is no "one" population in Latin America, as, even within a country there are…

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March 12, 2019

Glaucoma in Portugal

João Barbosa Breda
Glaucoma specialist, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário São João and Lecturer in Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
Organisation: Centro Hospitalar e Universitário São João
For World Glaucoma Week, Dr João Barbosa Breda, writes about glaucoma in Portugal. Dr Breda is part of Allergan Foundation's International Glaucoma Panel. In Portugal, the westernmost country of Europe, a recent study of national prescription data shows that 2.2% (231,634 inhabitants) of the total Portuguese population is under some type of eyedrops1. Moreover, in…

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