1. 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 15 • O P T O M E T R I C M A N A G E M E N T. C O M
potential to provide eye care to more than 5 million people
over the next 10 years.
We will continue to support the development of these
schools over the coming years, in partnership with the Brien
Holden Vision Institute and others, with a particular focus
on Haiti, Mexico, Vietnam and Nicaragua.
Child Eye Health is another priority area and we are
pleased to have been invited to be a Global Partner in the
recently announced “Our Children’s Vision” campaign that
aims to screen 50 million school children by 2020 and pro-
vide eye health care and spectacles for those who cannot af-
ford them. The campaign is initiated by the Brien Holden Vi-
sion Institute and Essilor Vision for Life with support from
the Revo / Bono “Buy Vision, Give Sight” campaign and a
coalition of industry and non-industry partners.
Another ongoing priority area is the funding support
provided for advocacy and community education. Although
seemingly less tangible, these activities are vital for raising
awareness of the economic and social impact that uncor-
rected refractive error has on local communities, and for
mobilizing appropriate financial and policy responses from
governments, professional associations, NGOs, volunteer
groups, multi lateral agencies such as the World Health Or-
ganization, and others.
Over recent years, there has been a significant increase in
the numbers of organizations who now recognize uncorrect-
ed refractive error as a major public eye health issue, and who
are committed to funding and implementing sustainable pro-
grams that build local capacity and provide access to afford-
able, ongoing eye and vision care. Optometry Giving Sight’s
advocacy work has been a significant factor in this increase.
The recognition of the Optometrist’s key role as primary
eye care provider is central to the achievement of our objec-
tives. A recent example is in Mexico, where in early 2015, a
OPTOMETRY GIVING SIGHT
S P O N S O R E D B Y O P T O M E T R Y G I V I N G S I G H T
F
OR THE PAST 10 YEARS, Optometry
Giving Sight and its project partners
have made a significant impact on the
lives of hundreds of thousands of fami-
lies and communities.
More than US$11 million in fund-
ing from donors and sponsors has been
disbursed to 72 projects in 37 countries
throughout Africa, Asia, Australasia, the Americas and
Eastern Europe. This has helped to provide basic eye care
services to 4 million people; train more than 10,000 eye care
personnel and support the establishment of 133 vision cen-
ters and optical laboratories.
The Board of Optometry Giving Sight, which is comprised
of representatives from founding members the Brien Holden
Vision Institute, World Council of Optometry and Interna-
tional Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, has always
maintained that the building of local capacity (“teaching
people how to fish”) is the key to eliminating the backlog of
preventable blindness and vision impairment, currently es-
timated to be more than 600 million people.
For this reason, more than 30% of our total disbursements
currently support the development of optometry programs
and Schools of Optometry in countries where there are few,
if any, locally trained optometrists. This represents a signifi-
cant long-term investment in these countries, to not only
produce graduates, but also to ensure they are supported and
integrated into a functioning public health system.
There are currently 350 students in degree and diploma
programs in 9 optometry programs / Schools of Optometry
that have received funding from Optometry Giving Sight;
109 students have now graduated with a degree or diploma;
and 21 graduates are being developed as future faculty to en-
sure the long term sustainability of the programs.
At a conservative estimate these graduates alone have the
OPTOMETRIC MANAGEMENT CORPORATE PROFILE
Dr. Juan Carlos Aragon
Chairman
Optometry Giving Sight
Clive Miller
CEO
Optometry Giving Sight

2. S E P T E M B E R 2 0 15 • O P T O M E T R I C M A N A G E M E N T. C O M 2
Presidential Decree was signed modifying Article 79 of the
Health Act to include Optometry among the health pro-
fessions requiring a University degree to be practiced. Op-
tometry Giving Sight and the World Council of Optometry
worked with AMFECCO, the Mexican association of schools
and associations of optometry, and key industry leaders to
help facilitate this important outcome.
We are currently supporting efforts to have Optometry
recognized in India, through the important work being un-
dertaken by the Indian Optometry Federation and the Op-
tometry Council of India.
The recent passing of our founding Chairman, Professor
Brien Holden, has been a great shock for all of us at Optom-
etry Giving Sight. Brien was a great visionary, and inspir-
ing leader, who was instrumental in establishing Optom-
etry Giving Sight as a way of ensuring that the Optometric
community would be at the forefront of global efforts to
eliminate refractive error blindness and impaired vision.
His passing has reminded us all what an incredible contribu-
tion he made to this world, and how important it is for us to
continue our efforts to ensure that all people have access to
the vision care they need. We are incredibly proud to have
known and worked with Brien. He has left a huge legacy,
which will continue to inspire us for years to come.
We also acknowledge the great support that we receive from
our many donors, Global sponsors including CooperVision,
national sponsors, network and media partners. Their trust,
financial support and partnership have been critical to our de-
velopment to date, and to what we hope to achieve over the
next 10 years.
S P O N S O R E D B Y O P T O M E T R Y G I V I N G S I G H T
OPTOMETRIC MANAGEMENTCORPORATE PROFILE
Vietnam School of Optometry: History was made in Vietnam
last year with the introduction of the very first optometry
course, launched on 29 October at the Pham Ngoc Thach
University of Medicine (PNTU), Ho Chi Minh City. The late
Professor Brien Holden is pictured here at the opening with
2 of the first intake of 18 students.
We See Project, Soweto South Africa: VSP Global, Nike, the
Brien Holden Vision Institute and Optometry Giving Sight are
collaborating on a 3 year project to support the Department
of Education and Department of Health to provide eye health
services to an estimated 30,000 children in Soweto and re-
duce the percentage of school children with uncorrected
visual impairment by 90%; and improve the quality of the
children’s lives and educational performance. The project
was launched in Soweto on April 10th 2014.
Mexico MOU Signing: Optometry Giving Sight recently signed
a Memorandum of Understanding with Benito Juarez Autono-
mous University of Oaxaca (UABJO), the Government of Oax-
aca, Brien Holden Vision Institute and World Council of Op-
tometry to establish the first school of Optometry in the state
of Oaxaca in Mexico. The signing took place at the World
Congress in Medellin, Colombia on Thursday 13 August. Our
hope is that the School will welcome the first students in 2016.
Haiti School of Optometry : Optometry Giving Sight is part of a
coalition of organizations including the Brien Holden Vision Insti-
tute and VOSH International who are seeking to contribute to the
reconstruction of Haiti through the establishment of a School of
Optometry at the Université d’État d’Haïti (Haiti University).
With the support of Vision Source, Essilor Canada and others,
Optometry Giving Sight hopes to soon have raised enough mon-
ey to be able to welcome the first student in 2016.