Optometry Giving Sight

Optometry Giving Sight recently provided funding for two VOSH International vision care projects in Central and South America.

The first project is to fund the purchase of equipment for an optical laboratory at the newly established School of Optometry at UNAN (National Autonomous University of Nicaragua) in Managua; Managua is the capital of the country. VOSH International has played an integral role in the establishment of the school, which currently has 40 students enrolled in the first year of the optometrist program.  The goal of the school is to educate, train and graduate local optometrists to provide affordable and accessible vision care services for the people of Nicaragua.

“We are delighted to be able to support this excellent program thanks to the funds we receive from Optometry Giving Sight,” said Dr. Larry Hookway, Immediate Past President of VOSH. “The school’s curriculum was modeled after the La Salle program in Bogota Colombia and is regarded as being closest to North American educational and clinical standards. By equipping an optical laboratory we will be ensuring that students also have access to practical training as part of their education”, he said.

Dr. Hookway added that an important part of the education program is that students are required to provide services to poor and disadvantaged people of the country during the last 12-18 months of their curriculum.

The second project to be funded by Optometry Giving Sight is the VOSH International Technology Transfer Program which supports clinical instruction by providing new and used optometric equipment to Schools of Optometry in Central and South America. It is anticipated that funds provided for this program will benefit optometry schools in Chile and Argentina.

Optometry Giving Sight funds sustainable eye care services for people who are blind or vision impaired due to uncorrected refractive error. The charity works in partnership with VOSH International in the USA and has provided funds to their sustainable vision care projects in Mexico, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Peru.

85% of donations to Optometry Giving Sight from eye care professionals, optical staff, employees and patients go directly to support projects that provide vision care, local training, and infrastructure support for people in underserved communities.