Optometry Giving Sight

A new Refraction Clinic and Optical Workshop, funded by Optometry Giving Sight in conjunction with the International Centre for Eyecare Education, was officially opened at the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital in District 7 on 18 February. Full eye care services will now be available at the hospital, offering local people quicker and easier access to an eye examination and a pair of affordable spectacles.

“The Vision Centre in Ho Chi Minh City will not only provide access to affordable vision care for the urban poor, it will also be a medium to inform the community that, in the majority of cases, vision problems can be corrected,” said Dr May Ho, ICEE Program Manager for Cambodia and Vietnam.

Vietnam, like many countries, suffers from a drastic shortage of experienced eye-care practitioners. This is particularly the case in rural and mountain areas (where 70% of Vietnam’s populations is based); while many of the optical shops in urban areas are operated by untrained personnel.

The ICEE Vision Centre will be staffed by a newly trained refractionist and spectacle technician, along with a Centre Manager. 15 Vision Screeners will also be trained to measure visual acuity, when to refer, record keeping and reporting.

Mr Nguyen Van Cuong (pictured above) is the newly trained spectacle technician. At his course Mr Cuong learnt how to make glasses and improve his professional training skills and practices.

“I feel more confident than before because I have learned many standards and secured techniques in making glasses from this course,” he said. “Now I feel very comfortable in responding to customer’s questions.”

In his role at the Centre, Mr Cuong is responsible for cutting edges and fitting spectacle lenses, repairing and modifying spectacle frames. He is also skilled at supporting the refractionists when measuring patients’ interpupillary distance and bifocal heights.

Mr Cuong enjoys his employment at the Vision Centre and looks forward to future opportunities. “Currently, the Vision Centre has few patients but, it is promising that there will be more patients to come to check their eyes and buy new spectacles,” he said. “I hope in future the space of the Vision Centre could be expanded to attract more patients.”



Photo courtesy of ICEE