World Council of Optometry

30 September 2011

MEDIA RELEASE

Launch of new vital primary eye care resource in Spanish

Sydney, Australia: 30 September 2011: A new Refraction Manual released today in Chile by the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) marks an exciting time for primary eye care in South America.

The Spanish Refraction Manual is a multi-layered, interactive education resource that takes students and teachers through refraction (visual impairment) training in an uncomplicated way. ICEE released the English version of the Refraction Manual in 2009 and its success has fuelled the release of the Spanish version today in Chile.

The Refraction Manual is a contemporary resource which gives community and health care workers the knowledge and skills necessary to perform accurate refraction examinations and prescribe appropriate spectacles. In 2007 the Durban Declaration on Refractive Error recognised that the greatest contribution to a severe worldwide lack of refractive error services was the lack of trained personnel to provide them; a need that was most pronounced in underserved and marginalised communities.

“The ICEE Spanish Refraction Manual is a user-friendly resource for eye care,” says Professor Brien Holden CEO of ICEE and a signatory to the Declaration. “It assumes no previous knowledge of eye care or refraction and is simplified for translation into other languages where needed, which means people from all backgrounds will find this invaluable. We have the facility for those interested to download the manual from our website – an excellent resource entirely free of charge,” said Holden.

“Making refraction accessible worldwide is a long term commitment of ICEE. We work on the premise that training is a multiplier effect, if we can train organisations who then train their own people we know we will fast track global eye care. This resource brings us all one step closer to our goal.  It’s a leap forward for all of us,” Professor Holden added.

“Uncorrected refractive error is a major challenge in Latin America. This manual is an excellent tool to support eye care practitioners in Latin America to contribute to the elimination of blindness and visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error,” said IAPB Chair for Latin America, Rainald Duerksen.

The package contains 30 subject units, including a teacher manual and reference resources equipped with step-by-step instructions, detailed flow charts and power point presentations. The use of didactic photography helps to illustrate a comprehensive and practical learning experience alongside discovery activities, worksheets, simulations and case studies. Interactive role-play activities and summary exercises designed for skills development and refraction examination practice.  

“We know there is a massive need for increasing human resources to eliminate blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error. It is our job to do everything in our power to build capacity and resources by enabling global quality refraction education and training,” said Professor Holden.

“The 670 million people with vision impairment without spectacles are unnecessarily losing life opportunities for themselves and their families and according to the World Health Organization there are many being forced into poverty. This dramatic impact on so many lives could be changed cost-effectively by an eye examination and a pair of glasses. Sadly we know over 90% of people affected by avoidable blindness and vision impairment live in developing communities,” said Professor Holden.

The ICEE Spanish Refraction Manual may be used for human resource development as part of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight aiming to ensure blindness and vision impairment are no longer barriers to people’s full participation in their communities.

For more information visit: http://www.icee.org/index.asp