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ICO Leader Letter

December 2009, Volume 6, Number 12

1. Building Momentum for Advocacy

As we approach the midpoint of the VISION 2020: The Right To Sight initiative, we celebrate the adoption by the World Health Association (WHA) of the Action Plan for the Prevention of Avoidable Blindness, and now turn our focus to its successful implementation.

We are starting to hear VISION 2020 progress reports and expect more in 2010, specifically the State of the World's Sight report, with definitive data and important next steps.

In this month's ICO Leader Letter, we feature information and resources on Advocacy. I invite you to increase your involvement in Advocacy/VISION 2020 efforts and adapt these resources to your needs.

I send my best wishes to you and your families for health, happiness and peace during December celebrations and in the New Year.

- Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

2. VISION 2020: The Next Decade

The American Academy of Ophthalmology's International Forum held at October's Joint Meeting brought world ophthalmologists together to address the progress of VISION 2020 and the challenges that still lie ahead.

Hugh Taylor, MD, opened the discussion with VISION 2020: Where Are We Now, One Decade Later?, archive.icoph.org/ppt/V2020WhereAreWeNow.ppt. (PPT–364 KB). He noted that the key to success is, and will continue to be, effective collaboration and partnerships.

Ivo Kocur, MD, presented a summary of the Action Plan for the Prevention of Avoidable Blindness and Visual Impairment and the steps leading to its adoption by the WHA: archive.icoph.org/ppt/IvoKocurWHOIntForum.ppt. (PPT–364 KB)

Panelists Abdulaziz AlRajhi, MD, Ramachandra Pararajasegaram, MBBS, Louis D. Pizzarello, MD, and Victoria M. Sheffield, MD, described some measures of VISION 2020 success thus far: eye health on local government agendas, increased priority for prevention of visual loss within the WHO and the cooperation of non-governmental organizations.

We look forward to additional opportunities to discuss VISION 2020's progress and planning for the next phase.

- Volker Klauss, MD, IAPB Representative to the ICO

3. Effective Advocacy in Australia

Australia has been a model for effective pursuit of VISION 2020 goals, with the Government having committed over $100 million to improve eye care in Australia, and recently allocating $45 million to improving eye care in Asian and Pacific countries.

A key to Australia's success has been the formation of VISION 2020 Australia and definition in 2005 of the National Framework for Action to Promote Eye Health and Prevent Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss, which outlines five areas for action: 1. Reduce risks, 2. Increase early detection, 3. Improve access to eye care services, 4. Improve the systems and quality of care, and 5. Improve the evidence base.

Australia's National Framework is available at: www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-eyehealth-framework-toc.htm.

Australian ophthalmologists and their College have played a leading role in working with the Australian government. Significant economic investment and effective coordination between organizations are also important components of this successful model.

Visit the VISION 2020 Australia Web site to download over 70 advocacy resources: www.vision2020australia.org.au/resources.cfm.

- Hugh Taylor, AC, MD, ICO Treasurer

4. ICO Advocacy Committee News

The purpose of ICO Advocacy is to influence decision-making to make sure that comprehensive eye care is part of public health policy in each country and is financed as part of the national health system. Since its inception, the ICO Advocacy Committee has worked in cooperation with national societies to advocate for the prevention of visual loss.

The ICO has asked member societies to each nominate an advocate to work with the Advocacy committee. Currently, 70 Advocates representing national and subspecialty societies are working with IAPB, WHO and VISION 2020, to represent ICO at WHO Regional Committee Meetings, inform national ophthalmologic societies and assist national societies to lead national Vision 2020 efforts.

This year, we will focus on stimulating and supporting implementation of the WHO Action Plan for the Prevention of Avoidable Blindness. The ICO Advocates will again gather at the WOC 2010 in Berlin on June 5 to discuss plans for moving forward. We plan to invite a representative from the VISION 2020 Australia team to share their formula for success with the group.

- Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD, ICO Director for Advocacy

5. World Sight Day 2009

More than 300 events in 50 countries worldwide marked World Sight Day (WSD) 2009. This year's theme, Gender and Eye Health: Equal Access to Care, called attention to the gaps in access to eye care between genders.

The WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean hosted an event in Alexandria, Egypt to encourage improvement in gender equity in the use of eye health services. In Durban, South Africa, the focus was on men, who are 70 percent less likely to access eye care than women.

The ICO also received reports of various events, including two days of free eye screening for women and girls in Cameroon, surgical outreach in Manajary, Madagascar, and a "Protection of the Eyes" workshop for school children in Jodhpur, India.

The full WSD 09 report is available for download from the VISION 2020 Web site: www.vision2020.org/documents/world_sight_day_2009/WD09_Downloads/WSD_Report_2009_FINAL_v2.pdf.

World Sight Day 2010 will be on October 14 and the theme is "Countdown to 2020."

- Jean-Jacques DeLaey, MD, ICO Secretary General

6. VISION 2020 Symposia at WOC 2010

We invite you to continue the VISION 2020 and advocacy discussion at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) 2010 in Berlin, June 5-9. Below is a sample list of VISION 2020 Symposia topics:

• Vision 2020: 10 Years on, 10 Years to Go  
• Africa: Can We Succeed in the Greatest Challenge to Blindness Prevention?  
• Beyond Vertical Programs: Challenges and Success in Building Comprehensive Eye Care Within a Health Care System
• Brain Drain: Challenges and Solutions  
• Refractive Error from School Age through Presbyopia: Combating the World's Leading Cause of Visual Disability
• The Economics of Blindness: What Does Lost Vision Cost, How Much Can Prevention Save?

For more details on these and other subjects, download the WOC 2010 preliminary program: www.woc2010.org/uploads/media/WOC2010_Pre_Program_e21209_01.pdf.

See you in Berlin!

- Akef El-Maghraby, MD, ICO Vice President

7. Additional Advocacy Resources

• The WHO Advocacy Toolkit:archive.icoph.org/ppt/WHOAdvocacytoolkit.ppt (PPT–2.6 MB)  


• VISION 2020 Action Plan, 2006-2011:
  www.who.int/blindness/Vision2020_report.pdf (PDF–2.2 MB)  


• The Cost Utility of Eye Care and ICO Advocacy:
  archive.icoph.org/ppt/ICOAdvocacyCostUtilityTaylor.ppt (PPT–2.9 MB)  


• ARVO International Advocacy Handbook:
  archive.icoph.org/pdf/ARVOInternationalAdvocacyHandbook.pdf (PDF–2.8 MB)  


• Blindness, Poverty and Development, the Impact of VISION 2020 on the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (report):www.vision2020.org/documents/iapb-mdgs.pdf. (PDF–3.3 MB)  


• Investing in Sight: Strategic Interventions to Prevent Vision Loss in Australia:
  archive.icoph.org/pdf/investinginsight.pdf (PDF–2.3MB)

8. Next ICO Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC)

• ICO Board of Trustees: June 4, 2010, Berlin, Germany
• ICO General Assembly: June 5, 2010, Berlin, Germany  
• World Ophthalmology Congress®: June 5-9, 2010, Berlin, Germany (www.woc2010.org)  
• Other future ICO Meetings: archive.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html

More News

For more news of the ICO and international ophthalmology and resources for ophthalmologic leaders, see the ICO’s Web site at www.icoph.org.

Request for Other News and Resources

Do you have other news of international ophthalmology or know resources (particularly on the Web) that would be valuable to ophthalmologic leaders? Please let us know at leader@icoph.org.

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