It has been a very exciting four weeks especially watching a new IVI optometry awareness concept become a reality and a mascot for Optometry awareness in the form of Ollie the Optometrist taking shape. It was amazing watching over 2000 adults and kids picking up key eye care

messages in a fun way through the creative genius of the Wizard of Oz show and the media assisting in taking this further to the community. IVI is planning a major Ollie Optometry Awareness Campaign during November and we look forward to your support for this initiative.

We have also been delighted at how the IVI Young Leaders Program is making a difference to the ten current participants and I very much look forward to a fresh batch joining us for 2014.

All this would not have been possible without support from our key partners and sponsors: L V Prasad Eye Institute, Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation, Lawrence & Mayo, Optometry Giving Sight, NWO Group, Essilor India, JSW Foundation, Wizard of Oz Group, Carl Zeiss, Australian Consulate Chennai and the Australia India Council. Vinod Daniel CEO Ollie the Optometrist generating awareness about eye care

Ollie the optometrist made his debut at the Wizard of Oz show at Hyderabad on 3 October inaugurated by Mr Patrick Suckling, the Australian High Commissioner to India, in the presence of Mr David Holly, Australian Consul General for South India; Prof Brien Holden, CEO of Brien Holden Vision Institute; Dr G N Rao, Chairman of L V Prasad Eye Institute and Mr Vinod Daniel, CEO of India Vision Institute. The character of Ollie has been specially commissioned by IVI to create awareness about the important role Optometrists play in eye care.

The inaugural performance at the Sri Satya Sai Nigamagamam Auditorium received huge applause from over 900 strong audience. One of the highlights of the show was the participation of students of the Maharishi Vidya Mandir and the visually impaired students of the Green’s Special School, following special workshops conducted by the Wizard of OZ team with the students.

Performance at the Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall at Chennai on 7 October drew appreciative response from over 1200 strong audience panning all age-groups. Students of the Ashram School and visually impaired children from St. Louis School featured in the show in Chennai.

A very popular Australian musical production presented by Sydney-based Brian Laul and his team, the Wizard of Oz show has been performed over 3,800 times across the globe.

Optometry in India: opportunities, challenges and way forward

A conference on Optometry in India: opportunities, challenges and way forward was organized at IVI Hyderabad on 3 October 2013 to mark IVI’s second anniversary.

National and international leaders in optometry and eyecare including Dr GN Rao, Prof Brien Holden, Prof Kovin Naidoo, Dr Ramesh S Ve, Ms Lakshmi Shinde, Mr Vivek Mendonsa and Mr Arun Nagraj spoke at the conference. Broadcast live through Webex, the conference was accessed by over 300 optometry community members including students from 10 optometry institutions across the country.

NEWS LETTER October 2013

Chennai A three-day workshop for Optometry practitioners and educators was organized at Sri Ramachandra University and Research Institute, Chennai during 4-6 September 2013.

The workshop covered a range of topics including Binocular Vision and Vision Therapy Basics, Low Vision Basics and Dispensing Optics. A panel of distinguished experts delivered the workshop, including Mr Aditya Goyal, Sankara College of Optometry, Bangalore; Dr Dharani, SRM Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Chennai; Ms Anuja CM, JIMS Sankara Hospital and Ms Mithali Paranjape, Paranjape Vision Care, Pune.

Over 50 optometry practitioners and students from a number of eye care institutions participated in the workshop, including from the Vasan Eye Hospitals in Chennai and Madurai; CSI Kalyani Multi Specialty Hospital, Mylapore; Trinity Optics, Porur; Ace Opticals, Nanganallur; Tripura Institute of Paramedical Science, West Tripura; and Sri Ramachandra University and Research Institute, Porur.

Jaipur Coinciding with the annual conference of the National Ophthalmic Association, a one day workshop on Refraction Techniques & Clinical Implications was organized in Jaipur on 22 September 2013. Led by Mr Aditya Goyal, Sankara College, Bangalore, the workshop included sessions on refraction techniques and prescribing considerations for spectacles. With participation of over hundred optometry practitioners from all over the country, the workshop was very well received.

IVI acknowledges the support of Optometry Giving Sight and Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation.

Young Leaders Program The third Young Leaders workshop held at IVI Hyderabad on 2-3 October 2013 coincided with the IVI second anniversary enabling them to participate in special anniversary events including the IVI conference and the launch of the awareness campaign introducing Ollie the Optometrist. The workshop focused on a range of areas including social enterprise, marketing, industry, promotion and effective communication. Additionally, participation at the IVI conference provided an opportunity for the young leaders to interact with national and international leaders in eye care including Dr G N Rao, Professor Brien Holden and Professor Kovin Naidoo. The concluding workshop is planned for early 2014.

Optometry Professional Development Workshops: an ASCO-IVI initiative Bhubaneswar A one day workshop on Refraction Techniques & Clinical Implications was organized by IVI in association with ASCO on 11 August 2013 at the Bhubaneswar campus of the L V Prasad Eye Institute. Sessions on refraction along with intensive hands-on experience was highly appreciated by the participants. Led by Ms Mithali Paranjape, Consultant Optometrists, Paranjape Vision Care, Pune, the workshop was attended by over 50 participants including practitioners and educators from Orissa and West Bengal.

IVI Online Seminar Series The IVI Online Seminar Series was launched on 16 August 2013 with a seminar on Everyday challenges in contact lens clinical practice, delivered through the Cisco Webex platform reaching the wide optometry academic community.

The inaugural seminar delivered by Dr Kalika Bandamwar, Manager, Brien Holden Vision Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad received an overwhelming response with participation of over 200 students pursuing bachelors and masters in optometry from 10 optometry institutes across India. The session was very interactive and the participants particularly appreciated the opportunity of discussing the specialized subject with the resource person sitting miles away at the IVI office in Hyderabad.

The second seminar in the series was presented by Ms Sheeladevi, Associate Public Health Specialist, LVPEI on Scope of Optometry in Public Health. Over 350 students from across 12 optometry institutions participated in the seminar held on 27 September 2013.

The discussions on global blindness, role played by optometrists in eyecare delivery and the opportunities for optometrists in public health were very well received by the students. The IVI Online Seminar series currently has 16 colleges registered.

If your institution would like to register for the IVI Online Series program, please contact ivi@indiavisioninstitute.org

Low Vision Awareness Program (LAP 30)

The Low Vision Awareness Program organized by the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in association with IVI was held on 20 September 2013. Over 100 practicing optometrists, optometry educators, optometry students, ophthalmologists, hospital administrators and students of rehabilitation science participated in the program. The highlight of program was the opening talk by a patient with low vision at the Meera an L B Deshpande Centre for Sight Enhancement at LVPEI. His inspiring talk provided a first- hand account of what it meant to live with low vision. The program consisted of a mix of didactic lectures and hands-on sessions with low vision devices by conducted by experienced low vision and rehabilitation specialists from LVPEI.

Faculty Support Program in Dispensing Optics The inaugural round of the IVI Faculty Support Program (FSP) in Dispensing Optics was successfully hosted by the Bharati Vidyapeeth School of Optometry, Pune (BVP) from 5 to 16 August 2013. The program comprised sessions on curriculum development, student evaluation and assessment patterns, effective lecture delivery methods and practical demonstrations involved in dispensing optics module for undergraduate programs in Optometry.

The two faculty members to benefit from the inaugural

program included Mr Chandan Jyoti Borah, Optometrist

and Academic Counsellor, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya,

Guwahati; and Md. Mosaib Omaer, Faculty and Consultant

Optometrist, C L Gupta Eye Institute, Moradabad.

Second round of the Faculty Support Program was held

from 30 September to 1 October with the participation

of Ms Mary Lamching Phiamphu, Faculty & Consultant

Optometrist, Bansara Eye Care Centre, Shillong, and Mr

Subir Bhaumik, Faculty & Optometrist, VHAT Eye

Hospital, Agartala.

The participants found the program to be a very

rewarding experience, providing an opportunity to learn

new teaching techniques which they plan to implement in

their parent organizations.

IVI acknowledges the support of NWO Group, BHVI

Foundation and Optometry Giving Sight for funding the

program; Bharati Vidyapeeth School of Optometry in

Pune for hosting the program; and Essilor India Pvt Ltd

for providing dispensing kits.

Applications are invited for third round of the Faculty

Support Program commencing in January 2014.

Completed applications can be submitted to

ivi@indiavisioninstitute.org by 30 November 2013.

Screening was organized at two Government schools in Chennai: the Government Adi Dravida Welfare High School and A L Mudhaliar Matriculation School. 26 students from Government Adi Dravida Welfare High School and 12 students from A L Mudhaliar Matriculation School were presented with free spectacles on 4 and 9 October respectively.

Vision screening was also conducted at the Krupa Day Care Center for the gypsy Community at Poonamallee, Chennai. Free spectacles were provided to 44 people from the community. World Sight Day Celebrations

IVI supported the ‘Universal Eye Health’ program commemorating the World Sight Day organised by the Optometry & Vision Science, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad on 10 October. The program began with eye screening at the University Health Centre, followed by a series of lectures presented by specialists. IVI Program Officer, Ms Sailakshmi Sridharan, made a presentation on Optometry in India. Quiz and poster sessions were also organised; and the program concluded with a cultural show presented by the students.

Forthcoming IVI Workshops/Programs

29 Nov 2013 Online Student Seminar IVI, Hyderabad

22&23 Nov 2013 Workshop on Vision & Occupation

IVI, Hyderabad

Dec 2013 Workshop on Planning Strategy

Kolkata

13&14 Dec 2013 Workshop on Pediatric optometry

Sankara Eye Hospital, Bangalore

Dec 2013 Workshop on Myopia IVI, Hyderabad

Dec 2013 Online Student Seminar IVI, Hyderabad

Applications are currently open for the following IVI programs:

Faculty Support Program – Round III 30 Nov 2013

Higher Education Scholarship 30 Dec 2013

Young Leaders Program 2014 – 15 15 Jan 2014

IVI Student Research Grants

IVI is pleased to announce the successful recipients of IVI student research grants. Aiming to support creative and innovative research, grants worth INR 8000 each will enable the following seven successful students to undertake research projects in Optometry:

Avinash V Prabhu, M Optom, Manipal University Project: Validation of Plusoptix in the VARES study model among the school going children of Udupi Taluk

Swetha M, M Optom, Manipal University Project: To Develop and Validate semi-automated computerised Amsler Grid (E-Amsler) for Screening Sight Threatening Eye (Macular) Diseases

Namratha, M Optom, Manipal University Project: Impact of Non-Strabismic Binocular Vision Anomalies on Academic Performance in Primary school children at Udupi

K N Rakesh, M Optom, University of Hyderabad Project: Effect of visual acuity on eye fixation and performance in tasks like shooting

Santosh J, B Optom, Shri Prakash Institute of Optometry Project: Problems with the application and translation of prism adaptation in clinical treatment of spatial neglect

Yogesh R Vaghela, M Optom, Nagar School of Optometry Project: Ophthalmic Anthropometry for designing of spectacles

Priyanka Beniwal, M Optom, Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre Project: Correlation between central corneal thickness and intra ocular pressure measurement by Goldmann applanation tonometer among normal healthy northern Indians

IVI Vision Screening Program – an IVI outreach initiative

As part of its outreach activities, IVI organized comprehensive eye examination for over 200 school children and over 80 people from the gypsy community in Chennai, with support from Optometry Giving Sight.

Contact Details: India Vision Institute Plot No.212, New No.45, Palkalai Nagar, 7th Link Road, Palavakkam CHENNAI – 600 004, Tamil Nadu, India Tel: + 91 44 2451 5353; Email: ivi@indiavisioninstitute.org

“We, teachers and students who participated in the programme reciprocate our thanks to IVI. Children had enjoyed each and every minute of the programme and it was a new experience both educative and entertainment. Our thanks to the team of Mr Brian Laul for training our children and to your team. It would really create a good impact in public about the role of optometry in preventing blindness”.

Lakshmi Ramachandran Principal, The Ashram – ICSE, Chennai (Wizard of OZ Workshop)

--- “Meeting with eminent personalities in eyecare during the conference and the YLP sessions was extremely valuable. I believe that sharing of experience and expertise by the optometry leaders will help us in our professional as well as personal life” Runa Talukdar Lecturer, Vidyasagar College of Optometry & Vision Science Institute, Kolkata (Young Leaders Program,Workshop III)

--- “It was a very wonderful as well as knowledgeable training program by IVI. I now have a good idea about curriculum and what should be taught in dispensing optics which will help the students in practical life.” Chandan Jyoti Borah Optometrist and Academic Counsellor, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati, (Faculty Support Program in Dispensing Optics)

--- “The experience was quite good and the content of the topic quite relevant. It was quite informative for the students as well as for the faculty. I want to convey my thanks to IVI for organizing such a seminar.” Md Mosaib Omaer Faculty at CL Gupta Eye Institute, Moradabad (Online Seminar Series program)

What people said about IVI

Ollie the Optometrist

was launched as a

mascot for eyecare

awareness by

India Vision Institute

and the

Wizard of Oz Show.