Posted on March 13, 2007 at 2:15 p.m.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Millions of people suffer from visual impairments that affect their education, job performance and productivity. Most people in the United States have access to specially trained doctors and resources to correct their vision problems, although many other areas of the world are not so lucky. The Inaugural World Congress on Refractive Error and Service Development will host a forum in Durban, South Africa, March 14-16, designed to formulate strategies to meet global needs in vision correction. Wendy Marsh-Tootle, O.D., and Patti S. Fuhr, O.D., professors at the UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) School of Optometry will attend and present lectures to international leaders, researchers, caregivers and eye care professionals about providing quality eye care.
“Many of the government representatives attending this conference are from areas in serious need of eye care providers,” said Marsh-Tootle, O.D., associate professor of pediatric optometry at UAB. “We will teach them the methods for responding to this problem. One of the primary goals of the meeting is to share ideas about ways to provide quality care and furnish glasses inexpensively.”
Marsh-Tootle will discuss infant eye examination techniques, and she will explain how caregivers need to modify their methods when prescribing glasses for babies. Fuhr will discuss low vision rehabilitation techniques for adults, and talk about how specialized training and devices can improve function and productivity for those with irreversible vision loss. Together, Marsh-Tootle and Fuhr will share their own experiences creating a comprehensive eye care system for pre-school children in Nicaragua, with hopes that a similar program can be created and implemented in other areas of the world.
The World Congress on Refractive Error and Service Development brings together leading experts to discuss key scientific and public health challenges related to poor vision. The forum was organized by the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE), a non-profit organization that specializes in blindness prevention and vision correction.