The current COVID-19 situation is effecting us in our home lives, and within our working lives through the projects that we are working on in order to help others. We have reached out to our members to ask them, how it is affecting their work. We hope to keep updating this page. SIGHTSAVERS Amid the…
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Press Release: — The COVID-19 global pandemic is, and should be, a top priority around the globe. With some vision centers closed and programming temporarily halted for OneSight, they are working to make sure there are still ways to care for patients in need, while keeping everyone safe, which requires some innovation and help. This is…
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The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)pandemic is rapidly changing the way the health and development communities are working. With the proximity of eye health professionals to patients during eye examinations and reports that the virus can cause conjunctivitis, COVID-19 has implications for eye health and eye health professionals. Travel restrictions, reprioritisation of health resources and economic…
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La nouvelle pandémie de coronavirus (COVID-19) de 2019 modifie rapidement le fonctionnement des communautés de santé et de développement. Étant donné la proximité des professionnels de la santé oculaire avec les patients lors des examens oculaires et les rapports selon lesquels le virus peut provoquer une conjonctivite, COVID-19 a des implications pour la santé oculaire…
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At CooperVision, our purpose is to help improve the way people see each day. That’s why we have chosen to become a Global Patron of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), helping bring even greater awareness to eye health issues. Through partnerships, advocacy efforts and a breadth of knowledge, IAPB is a…
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We recently marked World Glaucoma Week (8th-14th March) with our Focus On: Glaucoma initiative. At such a difficult time, the eye health community came together to raise awareness of the third leading cause of blindness. There is currently a lot of pressure on health professionals, and we are very grateful to everybody who contributed and…
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For everyone’s health and safety, ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other doctors are being urged to see only patients for urgent or emergent problems during the coronavirus pandemic. This is important for two reasons: To limit contact between patients and staff in offices, waiting rooms, exams rooms, and surgical facilities to reduce the spread of the coronavirus;…
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March 2020, Hannover, Germany – Even in times of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic, the donation and transplantation of tissues such as the cornea of the eye can be carried out. With an adapted donor screening, further precautions and the commitment of about 80 employees, the German Society for Tissue Transplantation (DGFG) maintains the supply of safe…
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These are uncertain times. The COVID-19 outbreak has upended our personal and professional lives, not to mention the millions whose lives are at risk today. As countries come to a standstill and refocus all efforts on fighting this virus, the eye health sector is facing unprecedented challenges. As Peter Holland noted in his CEO note…
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When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on 11th March 2020, Malaysia had already had a significant number of positive cases. Following this, the Prime Minister announced the Movement Control Order from 18th March 2020 to 31th March 2020 (which has now been extended to 14th April 2020). Optometrists around the…
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In 2005 I started Ortho Keratology – the wearing of contact lenses overnight to flatten the cornea – and produce a myopic defocus – thereby making it possible to control the progression of nearsightedness . Since it was something novel at that time , patients and even colleagues in the profession raised their eyebrows and…
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I’ll be honest: when I was asked to do a blog for World Optometry Day I responded, “but I’m hardly still a normal optometrist”. On second thought I decided that in our current situation: what is normal? We are in the midst of the largest, global public health crisis the world has ever seen. None…
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The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has launched a survey in order to collect information on the experience of persons with disabilities in the current Covid-19 pandemic. Please find the survey links below and feel free to disseminate through your networks. Spanish link English link
Through the WHO Academy, the World Health Organization is rapidly upscaling training via a number of digital, easily accessible learning applications. Please help them design and prioritise content and delivery methodologies that support and enable health workers worldwide boost their knowledge and skills related to the COVID-19 outbreak. We ask that you share the survey,…
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Satyaprabha Kotha and Gwyneth Cotes on addressing Childhood Blindness in South Sulawesi… The Global Burden of Disease Study estimates that in 2010 there were more than 100 million cases of moderate and severe visual impairment (MSVI) around the world. In addition, 6.8 million cases of blindness occurred due to uncorrected refractive error (URE)[1]. Integrating vision…
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The Viet Nam Child Eye Care (VNCEC) project, funded by the Seeing is Believing programme had set out its goal as: sustainable reduction of visual impairment in school children in Viet Nam. To achieve this goal, the project aims to improve the coordination between education and health sectors; strengthen capacity of school health staff and…
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Optometry is a relatively new profession that has evolved differently in different countries around the world. Currently, Optometrists around the world work in health care as the primary eye care physicians. They face incredible challenges and contribute towards the global eye health needs. The current scenario shows the natural need of Optometrists to contribute in…
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As the impact of COVID-19 continues to unfold at a rapid pace, I wanted to take this opportunity to get in touch. Many of you and your partners will be experiencing severe challenges during these uncertain times. It is our greatest hope that everyone in our community working around the world, in every capacity, are…
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A Vision Catalyst Fund (VCF) is being set up to support the creation and development of national scale, government-owned eye health services which are sustainably financed for entire populations. The venture’s founding partners include Standard Chartered, UBS, Essilor, James Chen and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The VCF will work in alignment…
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I found myself in an awkward position being invited to write about Optometry for its international celebration – World Optometry Day. Indeed, it seemed somewhat impertinent or perhaps even insensible to talk about anything other than the COVID-19 pandemic at this time. But it is in this same context, as I reflected on a question…
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