Event

The Faculty of Medical Sciences recognises World Sight Day which is observed on the second Thursday of October every year. Its aim is to reduce the prevalence of avoidable blindness and low vision through patient education and health promotion. The WHO Global Action Plan 2014 – 2019 seeks to reduce avoidable blindness and visual impairment by 25% by the year 2020. Estimates are that up to 80 % of blindness may be avoidable, being either preventable or treatable.

They will be hosting a Public Symposium on Eye Health with the theme, Universal Eye Health – Eye Care For All, taking place from 9.30am to 2pm.  

The provisional programme for the Public Symposium on Eye Health is as follows:

9:30am Registration, Coffee/Tea, vision screening, blood sugar and BP checks, viewing of posters and display booths

10:30am Welcome (Dr. Desirée Murray, Lecturer in Ophthalmology)

10:30am Opening remarks/Systemic Diseases and the Eye/Introduction of Principal (Professor Terence Seemungal, Dean, FMS)

10:45am Feature address - The Role of the UWI in Health Education and Blindness Prevention (Professor Clement Sankat, Principal and PVC, St. Augustine Campus)

11:05am Photographs with panel and participants

11:15am Ophthalmic Manifestations of Blood Disorders (Dr. Kenneth Charles, Deputy Dean Graduate Studies and Research)

11:30am The UWI School of Nursing (UWISoN) and VISION (Dr. Oscar Ocho, Director UWISoN)

11:45pm Accidental Eye Injuries (Dr. Ravi Lalla, Specialist Emergency Physician and Consultant, Adult Emergency Department, EWMSC)

12:00 noon - 12:30pm BREAK/refreshments

12:30pm The Nursing Profession and Eye Care (Nurse Akela Ward-Mason, Nurse in Charge, SOPC, EWMSC)

12:45pm The MoH Vision and Hearing School Screening Programme and Eye Glasses Programme (Dr. Deborah Pinder - to be confirmed)

1:00pm Cataract (Dr. Akil Hinds, DM Ophthalmology student)

1:15pm Glaucoma (Dr. Kaiawa Clarke, DM Ophthalmology student)

1:30pm SUMMARY - How to protect your sight from birth to earth (Dr. Desirée Murray, Lecturer - Ophthalmology)

1:45pm Vote of thanks

1:45pm - 2pm Vision screening, blood sugar and BP checks, viewing of posters and display booths

2pm END