The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is the US counterpart to the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, and is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. As one of the leading global eye health organizations, they have published a number of excellent resources related to global ophthalmology, including:

Global Ophthalmology Guide – The AAO’s Global Ophthalmology Guide is an interactive database of articles, training opportunities, and other interesting resources that span a large range of global ophthalmic topics.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics for the Global Ophthalmologist – Epidemiology and Biostatistics for the Global Ophthalmologist is an easy-to-browse adaptation from the book of the same name by Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS. The resource is targeted towards ophthalmologists in practice or training who desire a fundamental understanding of epidemiology, statistics, and interpretation of ophthalmic research literature.

Readers can expect to:

• Review key concepts in epidemiology along with their applications to international ophthalmology.
• Describe common types of statistics found in ophthalmic literature.
• Review examples of outstanding clinical research.

Ethics in Global Ophthalmology – In global clinical care and research, ophthalmologists must always act in the best interests of patients and the local community by maintaining high ethical standards. This collection of content reviews the ethical role of trainees and risk management in a global setting, and the numerable ethical challenges in global practice: appropriate supervision, competence, informed consent, perioperative care, patient vulnerability and privacy, and potential conflicts of interest. Please note that you must be logged in to the AAO website to access this content.

Volunteer Work in Global Ophthalmology – Volunteering abroad is undergoing a sea change. Gone are the days of simply flying overseas to an under-resourced community, performing hundreds of cataract surgeries, and returning home to your practice. Most communities now have their own health systems in place with local physicians who can perform procedures at a lower cost than in the past. This resource is designed to help ophthalmologists increase their knowledgebase and efficacy as volunteers in eye health on the global stage.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is an overarching alliance for the global eye care sector. Their 150+ members are drawn from NGOs and civil society, corporate organisations, professional bodies and research and eye care institutions.

They were founded in 1975 to lead international efforts in blindness prevention activities.

Their priorities are:

• Advocacy: Advocating for eye health globally so it receives the attention and resources needed to achieve universal access to eye care;
• Partnerships: Building coalitions and partnerships to mobilise action and generate change at a global and local level; and
• Knowledge: Providing authoritative data and information on eye health enabling the sharing of knowledge and experience to promote the development of good policy and practice.

The IAPB publishes a number of resources, some of which are highlighted below. The IAPB maintains a comprehensive website, which can be accessed by clicking here.

IAPB Resource Highlights

Word report on vision: This report is the cornerstone of IAPB’s global advocacy strategy. It provides a critical moment to inform and persuade global leaders about the magnitude and unacceptability of unavoidable vision loss globally.

The World Report on Vision seeks to generate greater awareness and increased political will and investment to strengthen eye care globally. The report offers clear proposals to address significant challenges in delivering eye care through existing health systems. It builds on the concerted efforts of the past thirty years to propose an integrated, people-centred eye care that strengthens health systems and meets population needs.

IAPB Webinar Repository. IAPB Webinars are a great way for to learn, connect and grow with help from the IAPB community. Here you will find links to videos from webinars past, and also list information on the webinars lined up for the future. This page also includes links to Seeing is Believing webinars.

Talks Eye-Inspire: The Eye-Inspire series will bring you the inspiration and scientific stimuli that has propelled forward some of the brightest minds in eye health. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) brings you a series of interviews – written, audio and video –speaking to individuals from the eye care sector, whose work continues to inspire us all. Using video and other media, IAPB will present one individual per episode. The individual will list 4-5 scientific papers that have most influenced them and their work, and explain how these key scientific milestones have pushed their careers – and as a consequence, the sector’s knowledge – ahead in innovative, new directions. 

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

Authors

Rumaisa Aljied, BSc; Marie-Josée Aubin, MD, MSc, MPH; Ralf Buhrmann, MD, PhD; Saama Sabeti, MD; Ellen E. Freeman, PhD

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence and determinants of visual impairment in Canada.

Methods

Inclusion criteria included being between the ages of 45 and 85 years old, community-dwelling, and living near one of the 11 data collection sites across 7 Canadian provinces. People were excluded if they were in an institution, living on a First Nations reserve, were a full-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces, did not speak French or English, or had cognitive impairment. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart while participants wore their usual prescription for distance, if any. Visual impairment was defined as presenting binocular acuity worse than 20/40.

Results

Of Canadian adults, 5.7% (95% CI 5.4–6.0) had visual impairment. A wide variation in the provincial prevalence of visual impairment was observed ranging from a low of 2.4% (95% CI 2.0–3.0) in Manitoba to a high of 10.9% (95% CI 9.6–12.2) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Factors associated with a higher odds of visual impairment included older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% CI 1.06–1.08), lower income (OR = 2.07 for those earning less than $20 000 per year, 95% CI 1.65–2.59), current smoking (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.25–1.85), type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.41), and memory problems (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.04–2.01).

Conclusions

Refractive error was the leading cause of visual impairment. Older age, lower income, province, smoking, diabetes, and memory problems were associated with visual impairment.

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

This resource from the World Health Organization takes a brief view of global blindness and visual impairment. The document examines definitions, prevalence, causes, strategies, as well as WHO’s response. Last updated in October 2019, this resource is an excellent snapshot of global eye health conditions.

This resource can be accessed here.

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

Authors

Rumaisa Aljied, BSc; Marie-Josée Aubin, MD, MSc, MPH; Ralf Buhrmann, MD, PhD; Ellen E. Freeman, PhD

Abstract

Objective

To determine the use of home care services in those with and without visual impairment in Canada.

Methods

Presenting visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart at 2 meters. Visual impairment was defined as binocular acuity worse than 20/60. The use of formal, informal, and both types of home care was determined by questionnaire.

Results

For 29 666 participants, the use of any home care was greater in those with visual impairment than in those without (28% vs 12%, respectively, p < 0.01). After adjusting for demographics and health, people with visual impairment were more likely to use informal home care (odds ratio [OR] = 1.89, 95% CI 1.35–2.63) and formal home care/both types of home care (OR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.79–4.07) than those without visual impairment. Marital status was a modifier.

Conclusions

Visual impairment is associated with use of home care services. These findings warrant further exploration and, if confirmed, have major health service implications, given the rising prevalence of visual impairment due to age-related eye diseases.

Read the full article through the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology website: Full Article

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is known for its research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) works to improve eye health and eliminate avoidable visual impairment and blindness with a focus on low-income populations. The ICEH has a number of global ophthalmology resources, including:

Community Eye Health Journal – The Community Eye Health Journal aims to make sure up-to-date, relevant information reaches eye care workers at all levels in countries where the burden of eye disease and blindness is greatest. Journal readers often have little access to other sources of information.

International Society Geographical & Epidemiological Ophthalmology – The aim of ISGEO is to promote the science of geographic and epidemiologic ophthalmology among all people and nations. This aim encompasses the epidemiological, clinical, educational, environmental and cultural aspects of eye disease, prevention of blindness, preservation of sight and visual rehabilitation. ISGEO provides a forum for presentation and discussion of research findings, focussing on low resource countries. As epidemiology encompasses the control of diseases in population, research presentations are welcomed in areas such as operational research, health economics, health systems research and qualitative research.

MOC: Global Blindness: Planning and Managing Eye Care Services – This course, developed by LSHTM, aims to help learners plan and manage eye care, to avoid blindness. Topics include:

• Epidemiological data on the causes and prevalence of blindness and visual impairment
• VISION 2020: The Right to Sight
• The Global Action Plan 2014-2019
• Key public health strategies for cataract and refractive error
• Health systems strengthening
• The essentials of the planning process for eye care programmes
• The principles of monitoring and evaluation

Course – MSc Public Health for Eye Care – This programme provides ophthalmic professionals with the knowledge and skills required to reduce blindness and visual disability in their populations by developing an evidence-based public health approach for the control and management of blinding eye diseases. It enables students to contribute effectively at a local, national and international level in research, training and service delivery. All three terms of this program can now be completed online.

To learn more about global ophthalmology resources from The International Centre for Eye Health, click here.

The International Visual Health Unit (USVI) is an interdisciplinary center, aimed at improving the eye health of disadvantaged populations.

The USVI was born from an interfaculty agreement at the University of Montreal bringing together various initiatives from the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Public Health and its International Health Unit (USI), and from the School of Optometry.

The mission of the USVI is to contribute to the improvement of visual health and the reduction of avoidable visual deficiencies in developing and transition countries, as well as in our more deprived local populations.

It is the only French-speaking North American organization that brings together professionals and students from various disciplines to promote training, expertise, technical support and research in international visual health.

For more information, click here.

The New Normals

COVID has ushered in a bunch of new normals. The way we run clinic, how we vacation, and where our kids go to “school”. A more long-term change we may see in our profession is how we go to “school”.  Month after month, we will have to continue to make the difficult decisions regarding our upcoming conferences, whether to postpone, convert to virtual, or wait and see. In the meantime, many of us have chosen to take advantage of the opportunities that online webinars provide. Assembling panelists of speakers from around the world, peppering pioneers with the “why’s” and the “what’s” of how things came to be, and being able to reconnect with your former classmate from decades ago “face-to-face”. In fact, some of the comments from newly converted webinees are that these sessions are more personal than if we were sitting in a large auditorium (inevitability looking at the screen to attempt to see a speaker’s expressions).  With the support of Dr Sherif El-Defrawy and the DOVS planning committee, we initiated a weekly webinar called RETINA CONNECT. Our season comes to an end today with star-studded cast.  Anita Agarwal will be presenting Imaging of Placoid Disorders. Of course, I picked up her book, Gass’ Atlas of Macular Disease, off my shelf and read with pleasure in preparation. Her panelists include Larry Yannuzzi, Bailey Freund, Lee Jampol, and Dave Sarraf.  We will reconvene in the fall with monthly sessions. Hope you can join.

Tuesday June 30, 6pm EDT

RETINA CONNECT: Anita Agarwal – Placoid Imaging

Please click the zoom link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81602932731?pwd=L2M3RnZzQWw0QXZxT1d0b1FQY0hudz09

Password: connect

Recommended by Deepa Yoganathan, MD, FRCSC
Practice Resource Centre Committee Member, Canadian Ophthalmological Society

The University of Alberta’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has a well-established relationship with global ophthalmology.

The Department’s initiatives in developing countries include capacity building to improve local ophthalmology services and long-term sustainability, training and fellowships for local eye care providers, and direct service delivery in performing cataract and sub-specialty surgeries.

Their on-going STOP Glaucoma program continues to help halt progression of the disease in Sub Saharan Africa and will soon expand into areas of Eastern Africa and the Ivory Coast. The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Global Health initiative developed out of the tele-ophthalmology program which as designed to provide better health care services to patients living in underserved regions.

To learn more about the global ophthalmology efforts and resources at the University of Alberta’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, click here.