International Council of Ophthalmology

Ophthalmic Education:

Allied Ophthalmic Personnel Training Initiatives of the ICO

Curricula for education of allied personnel

ICO Education Director Mark Tso, MD

A task force of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) has defined "Principles and Guidelines of a Curriculum for Para-ophthalmic Vision Specialist Education," which can be downloaded as a PDF file (336KB) from www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricpara.pdf.

The document offers general principles and model curricula for training of:

Community Based Para-Ophthalmic Personnel
Hospital Based Para-Ophthalmic Personnel
Orthoptists
Ophthalmic Technicians.

The ICO International Task Force on Para-ophthalmic Vision Specialist Education is chaired by Sivaguru Selvarajah, FRCS, FRCOphth, FACS, of Malaysia.

The curricula for allied personnel is one of four sets of curricula and guidelines for ophthalmic education defined by international task forces and offered in connection with the ICO's initative to enhance training to meet the needs of the public.

The ICO encourages ophthalmologic societies and residency programs to translate and adapt these curricula as needed and use them as basis for enhancing ophthalmic education.

Training of allied personnel critical to improving eye care

Training of allied ophthalmic personnel can make a major contribution to improving eye care around the world, particularly in developing countries where there is a shortage of ophthalmic specialists.

That was one conclusion of Vision for the Future, international ophthalmology's strategic plan, which was defined in a series of conferences in 1999 to 2001.

ICO Task Force collects training curricula

As a result, the ICO formed an International Task Force on Para-ophthalmic Vision Specialist Education.

Chaired initially by Cristián Luco, MD, of Chile, the Task Force has collected training curricula from different regions of the world.

In July 2003, Sivaguru Selvarajah, FRCS, FRCOphth, FACS, of Malaysia, who has expertise in training para-ophthalmic vision specialists in Malaysia, Thailand and Southeast Asia, agreed to take over as chair.

Sample and draft curricula available

The following sample and draft curricula for training of allied ophthalmic personnel were published as part of the Vision for the Future:

Training Curriculum for Community-Based Eye Care Workers Ministry of Health, India

Training Curriculum for Hospital-Based Ophthalmic Assistants Aravind Eye Hospital, India

Proposed Curriculum on Training of Mid-Level Eye Care Personnel World Health Organization, Southeast and Western Pacific Regions

Task Force supports unified training programs

The ICO Task Force on Para-ophthalmic Vision Specialist Education believes that the range of eye care personnel should be educated under one system and unified training program so that provision of different levels of eye services may be achieved effectively and efficiently without unnecessary competition among eye care personnel.

Members of the Task Force

ICO International Task Force on Para-Ophthalmic Vision Specialist Education:

Chairman:

S. Selvarajah, FRCS, FRCOphth, FACS, (Malaysia) (para@icoph.org)

Editor and Director of Educational Programs of ICO:

Mark O.M. Tso, MD (USA) (China)

Major Contributors:

Thomas D. France, MD (USA)
Melvin I. Freeman, MD (USA)
Usha Kim, MD (India)
Sivaguru Selvarajah, FRCS, FRCOphth, FACS (Malaysia)

Other Past and Present Members of the Task Force:

Rubens Belfort, MD (Brazil)
Elaine Connell, MD (Australia)
Daniel Etya’ale, MD (Switzerland)
Kazuichi Konyama, MD (Japan)
Christian Luco, MD (Chile)
Thulasi Raj, MBA (India)
Juan Verdaguer, MD (Chile)

Manuscript Editor:

Tina-Marie Gauthier

The ICO gratefully acknowledges the editorial efforts of Jenni Anderson and Lenalee Fulton in coordinating and assembling these curricula.

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