Category: News

Your donations to Optometry Giving Sight helped fund Canadian Vision Care’s support for eye care in Manila, Philippines. Their partnership with the SPECS Eye Train Clinic provides eye care out of two creatively converted railway cars.

In the month of March 2021 alone, the clinic was able to help 195 walk-in patients and provided 145 free eyeglasses. As well, the clinic serves local orphanages and schools. COVID is causing some challenges but they are getting as much work done as they can.

Dr. Eustaquio who works at the clinic said, “I know, even though we can’t see their smile behind the facemask, their heart is full of gratitude to the SPECS Foundation, Canadian Vision Care and Optometry Giving Sight for helping them to have better eyesight through providing them with free eyeglasses.”

The Eye Train Clinic also provides clinical experience to Central Manila University optometry students. In the future, there are plans to build a small Eye Centre side-by-side with the clinic to serve as a training centre for graduating optometry students.

Because of funding from Optometry Giving Sight, the Eye Train Clinic has benefited by receiving new lens kits, trial frames and an autorefractor helping them to continue providing quality vision care to those in need.

Thank you for giving sight and opportunity to people around the world!

Over 1,000 Eyecare Professionals Participate in Charitable Giving Initiative.

Eyes On Dry Eye, held April 23-24, 2021, was pleased to choose Optometry Giving Sight as the charity of choice for the event. The charity was spotlighted in the Virtual Conference Bag, and attendees were invited to click a button for which Eyes On Dry Eye would donate $1 in their name. At the end of the event, Eyes On Dry Eye donated $1,500 to Optometry Giving Sight on behalf of the event attendees, and $500 each to Sjogren’s foundation, Dry Eye foundation, and VOSH International on behalf of the participants of the Dry Eye Game Show.

Eyes On Dry Eye was created with the intent to equip optometrists and other eyecare professionals with free continuing education, live talks with leading experts in dry eye diagnosis and management, virtual vendor booths, raffle prizes, and a hefty dose of the fun and inspiration Eyes On event attendees have come to expect. Founded by Damon Dierker, OD, FAAO and Ahmad Fahmy, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO in 2020, the event was first held as Everything Dry Eye.

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Optometry Giving Sight for this event,” says Matt Geller, OD and co-Founder of Eyes On Eyecare, the parent company of Eyes On Dry Eye. “It’s a truly great organization doing tremendous work on an initiative that as optometrists we’re all passionate about: restoring vision and providing eye care.”

Eyes On Eyecare will continue to hold virtual events for the eyecare community, including events focused on disease states such as dry eye, glaucoma, and others, as well as the optometry conference Eyes On 2022. The organization plans to continue with charitable giving initiatives like this one, that keep event attendees engaged and raise awareness about visionary organizations in the eyecare industry.

“Even if attendees don’t donate themselves—though we hope they will—we’re looking forward to getting them involved in the donation process,” says Dr. Geller. “Our events are built around the experience, and we want to make sure there’s something for everyone wherever they look.”

Click here to make a donation to Optometry Giving Sight.

Optometry Giving Sight is pleased to announce that it has formed a new board of directors. The fund-raising organization operates in Canada and in the United States, with two separate boards, with the same directors for both.

The U.S. Board is chaired by Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón, who has been active with Optometry Giving Sight as a board and committee member for over 10 years. The Canadian Board is chaired by Dr. Susan Cooper, also involved with OGS over the past decade.

The seven members of the OGS Board includes:

• Juan Carlos Aragón OD – Chair, U.S., President, CooperVision Specialty Eye Care
• Susan Cooper OD – Chair, Canada, Former President and Managing Director, World Council of Optometry
• Donna Mikulecky – Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer, Vision Source
• Millicent Knight OD – Senior Vice President, Customer Development, Essilor of America
• John Flanagan PhD, FCOptom – Dean, Berkeley School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley and President, Association of School and Colleges of Optometry
• Paul Karpecki OD – Medical Director at Keplr Vision and Director of Cornea Services, Kentucky Eye Institute
• Luigi Bilotto OD – International Eye Health Advisor, École d’optométrie de l’Université de Montréal

In a joint statement, Drs. Aragón and Cooper said “We are delighted with our new board and grateful to all of our board members for their commitment to helping grow Optometry Giving Sight. It is a strong group that will help take the organization to a higher level.”

OGS’ Executive Director, Anne Marie Hand, states that, “The Optometry Giving Sight team and I are very excited to welcome our new board and to work with them in the years ahead to further our mission of bringing eye care to those who are in need.”

Optometry Giving Sight’s support of Ver Bien in Mexico has helped many school children receive the eye care they desperately need. Approximately 12% of public school children in Mexico suffer from a refractive error which can be corrected with glasses.

Many of these children have no access to eye health services because they live in rural communities in Mexico. Even when services are brought to their towns, families often don’t have the resources to pay for them. Ver Bien goes directly to public schools with optometrists who perform eye exams to check for diseases and refractive errors. When glasses are required, they are delivered at no cost.

Claudia (pictured below) was one of the students helped through Optometry Giving Sight’s support of Ver Bien.

Claudia’s life with poor vision was very challenging. Seeing her school work was difficult and she was often afraid when walking the 3 kms along the river to school.

The day she received a pair of glasses through the program, everything in her life changed:

Today is the day Claudia has anticipated for many months. She is so happy that she cannot stop smiling. Today is the day she can actually see the school board and the writing that used to be invisible. Today is the day she received her first ever pair of glasses.

A few months ago Claudia’s school was invited to participate in a school screening program implemented by Ver Bien and funded by Optometry Giving Sight.

Having a comprehensive eye examination and the correctly prescribed glasses is helping Claudia greatly improve the quality of her life. She feels so excited that it’s hard to sit still in class. Her teacher noticed the difference in Claudia’s behavior and feels happy for her student’s new clear-sighted joy. Its only 1pm and over two hours before school ends but Claudia is keen to make the journey home to show her grandmother her new glasses. She explains to her teacher how happy she thinks her grandmother will be.

“Walking home from school will be easy now,” Claudia said happily. “I can see all my friends’ faces now. I won’t be scared of falling in the river because I cannot see where the path goes. I feel part of my own life again. Maybe now I can learn sports and catch the balls I couldn’t see before!”

Please support the World Sight Day Challenge to help more children like Claudia.

The extraordinary events of the past several months, both the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the incidents of racial injustice and protests have affected us worldwide. The mission of Optometry Giving Sight is global and focused on closing the gap of vision care inequity. We join with the chorus of voices of our optical industry friends who have spoken out against racism and inequality.

Optometry Giving Sight was founded on the principle of bringing eye care to underserved communities, most often facing economic inequities. We recognize the same injustices are found in underserved communities, particularly communities of color right here in the U.S. and Canada.

With our dedication to Giving Sight and Hope to underserved populations, we want to help give voice to the racial and eye care inequities that exist in communities within our own continent.

In response to COVID-19 and in solidarity with the recent protests against racism, Optometry Giving Sight is making available a COVID-19 Relief Fund for fellow eye care nonprofits/charities that provide services within the United States and Canada. The funding will award small grant support for any one or more of the following considerations:

• To provide eye exams and low or no-cost glasses to individuals in underserved communities
• Special project funding that helps build sustainable vision care efforts
• Provide diversity and inclusion training to staff, volunteers and board members

There is $50,000 available with a max of $5,000 per grant. Applying organizations must have a 501(c)(3) or Canadian Registered Charity status. Interested organizations can submit an electronic application by clicking here by July 31. Hard copies will not be accepted due to remote working conditions.

Questions regarding USA grant requests should be sent to: usa@givingsight.org.

Questions regarding Canadian grant requests should be sent to canada@givingsight.org.

Why Optometry for Uganda?

The Brien Holden Foundation has led the development of the optometry program at Makerere University in Uganda.

How will optometry benefit Uganda?

The population in Uganda as of 2020 is 43 million.

Optometrists act as the first source of primary eye care to enabling early detection of serious eye conditions and diseases which may need referral. Optometrists will relieve ophthalmologists from the management of basic and common eye conditions, allowing them to focus on their areas of specialty – medical and surgical treatment.

The creation of skilled optometrists will in time increase the efficiency of eye care services in Uganda and improve the health system’s cost-effectiveness.

The eye care need and prevalence of uncorrected refractive error, myopia, cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration in Uganda:

• 16 OCO/Cataract surgeons are practising in Uganda and they function in 14 of the 56 districts.
• At present there are 29 active ophthalmologists, serving a population of roughly 43 million people. Therefore, on average one ophthalmologist does serve a population of more than one million people. Considering the fact that about half do serve in the capital, the ratio for smaller towns and rural areas is even worse.
• There are about 207 OCO’s in the country and most only do presbyopic corrections. Those who go back for the 3-month OCO refraction course are the only ones who perform objective and subjective refractions.
• 8 Private Sector Optometrists are based in the capital, while 1 Optometrist is based in Ruharo Eye Centre in Mbarara. All are in private practice and have received their training outside the country.
• At present there are only two Ophthalmic Nurses in the country.

Secondary level: The 207 OCOs provide basic ophthalmic services, with some based in the regional referral hospitals. There is at least one OCO per district. 50 OCOs were trained in refraction in Phase 1 of NIURE program. The majority performs refractions but some of them hardly practice since they are usually supporting ophthalmologists in the ward/theatre or are out in the field performing clinical duties.

Primary level: Ophthalmic Assistants (OAs) provide eye care services at the county and sub-county levels. A limited amount of RE and LV services are provided in the hospitals. The majority of these services are provided by optometrists in the private sector in Kampala. Only 2 mission hospitals have hospital-based expatriate optometrists and LVTs.

Current status: evolution of optometry development in Uganda

2014: Curriculum approved by National Council of Higher Education. First intake (8 students admitted, 6 enrolled). LFTW starts supporting optometry course coordinator.

2015: 4 students admitted. LFTW supports with set-up of optometry office and equipment for pre-clinic and AVC. BHVI equipment delivered. University identifies space for pre-clinic and AVC.

2016: 4 students admitted. Teaching clinic/Pre-clinic launch with senior management from LFTW. AVC launch with UNSW. MOU signed with BHVIF, UNSW and Makerere University.

2017: 20 students admitted (including 10 government sponsored). Curriculum reviewed to fit in with the revised MBChB curriculum. UNSW IGD team visited Makerere and interacted with students and faculty.

2018: Optometry recognised and gazetted. Registration to begin in June. Pioneer students complete course (May 2018). Start internships. 8 government sponsored students admitted for 2018-19 intake. Private TBC.

2019: Pioneer students graduate (January 2019). Five pioneer students graduated as the first Ugandan-trained optometrists for their country. They start the 25 week internship required by the Government to become a fully registered optometrist.

2020: Second cohort of students graduate (January 2020). Three pioneer students graduate to join the small but determined group of the first Ugandan-trained optometrists for their country. They start the 25 week internship required by the Government to become a fully registered optometrist.