This June President Santiago extends an invitation to our Annual Meeting to be held in Ecuador, we honor the memory of Dr. Kane, provide a brief overview of our midyear meeting held recently in Tennessee, share requests from VOSH chapters going to Mexico and India, highlight research on low vision in Ghana, share resources and invitations from our partners and extend a warm invitation to participate in the production of an E-book. We hope you enjoy this issue and do not forget to send your news/requests to vosh@vosh.org. | | |
|
|
This month President Santiago extends an invitation to the whole VOSH network to attend our 2024 Annual Meeting in Quito, Ecuador in person or via Zoom.
Read the article in English here. The Spanish version is here
| | |
2024 Midyear Meeting
Our traditional midyear meeting was held in Nashville, Tennessee on the morning of Saturday, June 22nd. Unlike other years, this time all VOSH chapters were invited to participate in strategic discussions. We thank the attending chapters for their interest and contributions. We thank Dr Susan Cooper of Optometry Giving Sight, a key donor of VOSH/International for her presentation. VOSH is also very grateful to the American Optometric Students Association (AOSA) and the World Council of Optometry (WCO) with which a reception was co-hosted for international delegates attending the American Optometric Association (AOA) meeting. We are excited that our AOA liaison, Dr Curtis Ono, will continue working with us for another year.
| | | |
Honoring Dr Greg Kane, FVI
Dr Greg Kane, former VOSH-Southeast Board member and active volunteer, passed away recently. Known for his kindness and several trips to Peru and Nicaragua, Dr Kane was remarkable working with children.
Our sincere condolences to his family and members of VOSH-Southeast.
The two Nicaraguan boys in the picture received their first pair of glasses from Dr Kane.
| |
| |
|
VOSH-Santa Cruz needs students of optometry for their humanitarian clinic in Mexico
VOSH-Santa Cruz is organizing a humanitarian clinic in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico between November 20th and December 1st. This chapter is looking for US or Mexican optometry students to join them.
If you are interested please contact the team leader, Father Pierre Labine at pierre.labine@sympatico.ca or visit their website for more details (www.voshohv.org)
| |
VOSH-Michigan needs volunteers for a humanitarian clinic in India
In partnership with the Rotary Club of the Taj Mahal, India, VOSH-Michigan is organizing this exciting humanitarian clinic in India. The clinic and site tours will take place between October 9th to 21st. The cost per person sharing is $3,700. Read the whole program and details of the costs here. They are looking for ODs and opticians. If you are interested contact Dr Nelson Edwards at ngedwards.o.d@gmail.com
| |
| |
|
Low Vision practice and service provision among optometrists in Ghana
This survey of over 200 Ghanaian optometrists focused on the provision of low-vision services in this country. Most respondents (77%) did not provide low-vision services often due to a lack of assistive devices and basic eye care examination kits. Patients are unaware of the presence of low-vision centers and the high costs of low-vision aids. Congratulations to Dr Owusu Akuffo, faculty adviser of SVOSH-KNUST in Ghana and former head of the Department of Optometry and Visual Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, and his colleagues in the USA, China, and Germany who contributed to this paper. Read the article here.
| |
Contribute to the VOSH/International E-book
Decades of humanitarian work in many places worldwide have resulted in countless human stories that made VOSH volunteers laugh, cry, challenge stereotypes, and motivate them to continue offering eye care to those who need it most. We want to capture those stories in an E-book. All VOSH and SVOSH chapters are invited to contribute their experiences to this initiative. The guidelines and the link for the manuscript submission are in English here, and in Spanish here. Chapters can submit their manuscripts until December 15th,2024. Do not miss this opportunity to share your human stories with the whole VOSH network and partners.
| | |
Prevent Blindness Summit is around the corner
The #eyesummit will take place on July 10-11, 2024, as a FREE virtual interactive event. This year’s theme – “Being Seen and Heard” – emphasizes the importance of a person-centered approach to vision health interventions, research, communications, and care.
Register HERE
| |
| |
|
OPTOGLOBE Student Summit
Students of optometry are invited to register in this series of webinars to explore the significance of fostering a global optometric student community. VOSH/International is proud to support this effort and encourages students from all SVOSH chapters to register. The webinars will take place between 11th and 14th July.
July 11th Asia. Register here
July 12th North Africa and the Middle East. Register here
July 13th North and South America. Register here
July 14th Anglophone Africa, Australia, and Europe. Register here
| |
The WCO & ALCON partnership for Dry Eye Disease Education
Following two years of successful collaboration, the WCO Alcon Dry Eye Wheel has been updated to include content about diet, dietary supplements, in-office, and complex treatments. The Dry Eye Wheel and related resources are available here.
| |
|
World Refugee Day and Health
Each June 20th, the world celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is organized by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. The World Health Organization (WHO) in line with this year’s theme “Solidarity with Refugees", emphasized the importance of building inclusive health systems and ensuring equitable care for refugees worldwide. Important resources can be found here, and the Refugee and Migrant Health Toolkit is here.
There are 120 million people displaced in the world. In 2023, two US VOSH chapters organized clinics for recently arrived refugees to the US. Show solidarity whenever you can.
| | | | |
