Enhancing and developing eye and vision care worldwide

Robert Chappell OBE MPhil DSc FCOptomPast President

Chairman Legislation Registration and Standards Committee

The World Council of Optometry

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What is WCO?

An international optometric association of over 90 member

organisations, representing over 100,000 optometrists,

across six world regions.2

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Our vision

Our vision is of a world where high quality eye health and vision care is accessible to all people.

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Our mission

To facilitate the enhancement and development of eye and vision care worldwide via education, policy development and humanitarian outreach.

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WHO 2007

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Why does blindness prevention need our attention?

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The basics

• 285 million blind or visually impaired

• 39 million blind

• 80% of blindness is avoidable -treatable or preventable, in a cost-effective manner

• Nine in 10 blind persons live in low income countries

Source: WHO, 2012

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Cataract5%

Glaucoma18%

Other4%

ARMD50%

Ch Bl3%

DR17%

CO3%

Cataract50 %

Trachoma4 %

Glaucoma12%

Oncho 0.8 %

Other14 %

ARMD6%

Ch Bl 4%

DR 4%

CO 5%

More DevelopedCountries

Less DevelopedCountries© WHO 2006

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Global distribution of blindness by cause

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The basics – refractive error

•153 million visually impaired

– Vision <6/18

• 8 million functionally blind

• 517 million unable to read

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©Pascolini D and Mariotti, 2011

Global Causes of Visual Impairment(Including Blindness) -2010

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A costly problem

• Higher costs of treating and managing diseases at a late stage

• Lost earnings for the visually impaired and caregivers

• Lower quality of life in social, economic, health and cultural terms

• Annual global impact of avoidable blindness and low vision $42 billion

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A containable problem

• Of the 39 million blind worldwide, 17 million could be cured by a 15-minute, 50-dollar cataract operation with a 98% success rate

• Blindness is not limited by age, socio-economic status or gender

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A manageable problem

• Some blinding diseases and conditions result from poor sanitation and inadequate nutrition

• The leading causes of avoidable blindness are cataract, refractive error, onchocerciasis, trachoma and vitamin-A deficiency

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The main gains of action

· Reducing blindness is linked to improving access to educational and employment opportunities

· Reducing blindness alleviates household, community and national poverty

· Reducing blindness contributes to equality

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The main gains of action

• The right to sight is an essential component of national development and poverty alleviation

• Productivity gains from reducing visual disability would amount to a saving of US$223 billion over 20 years

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The impact

The gains would depend on an

investment of just 0.23% of the total health expenditure and

9.9% of the expenditure on vision disorders

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The broader implications

Blindness prevention is a step towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in terms of:

• Poverty eradication and improving access to employment opportunities

• Universalisation of primary education• Improving child and maternal health• Combating chronic and life-threatening diseases• Promoting gender equality

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The process

• Partnerships between eye care agencies, professional bodies and government institutions

• Building capacity in human resources and infrastructure within the health care delivery system

• Integrating eye care into public health systems

• Committing to the idea vision loss can and must be prevented through high quality, sustainable and equitable services

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The gains thus far

• Significant gains in disease control

• An enhanced network of training opportunities

• A focus on permanent infrastructure creation

• Increased awareness of blindness as an issue that has many consequences

• Successful service delivery models incorporating sustainability, excellence and fairness

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The gaps

• Acceptance from more governments of the idea that blindness prevention is crucial to human development

• Greater government commitment in terms of financial and human resources:–To establish training programmes–To develop infrastructure–To incorporate eye care into primary health care

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WCO’s concept of optometry

Optometry is a healthcare profession that is autonomous, educated, and regulated (licensed/registered), and optometrists are the primary healthcare practitioners of the eye and visual system who provide comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes refraction and dispensing, detection/diagnosis and management of disease in the eye, and the rehabilitation of conditions of the visual system

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WCO’s definition of an optometrist

WCO has adopted the broad competencies of dispensing, refracting, prescribing and the detection of disease/abnormality as the minimum required for individuals to call themselves an optometrist.

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The importance of WCO

As a global body WCO works towards:

• the enhancement and development of primary eye and vision care by optometrists

• the promotion of high standards of education and practice by optometrists through international coordination and networking

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Recognition of Optometryby the World Health Organisation (WHO)

•WCO is recognised and in working relations with WHO

•Optometry is specifically recognised as an independent eye care profession in the 2007 Vision 2020 Action Plan

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The importance of WCO

• the support of programmes directed at the provision of eye and vision care to countries in need

• the promotion of the advancement of the science of optometry

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WCO is making a difference

EducationGlobal issues, practice modes

teaching

Policy and legislation Policy development Optometry development Legal frameworks

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WCO is making a difference

Humanitarian outreach• World Optometry Foundation (WOF)• Optometry Giving Sight (OGS)

Strategic Partnerships• World Health Organization (WHO)• International Agency for the

Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

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WCO membership benefits

Organisations members of WCO benefit from:

• Participating in a global community committed to enhancing eye and vision care worldwide

• Access to a worldwide optometric network of knowledge, expertise and influence

• Having a united global voice for optometry as a key health sector profession

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WCO membership benefits

• Access to knowledge sharing platforms (conferences) where global optometric issues are discussed

• Regular members’ communications and updated information

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WCO membership benefits

• Access to financial support

• Setting world standards

• Influence and action

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Questions

www.worldoptometry.org