Announcements and News
Message from Conference Chair
Date : 2009-10-15
It is with great pleasure that I invite you to join us at the 2nd World Congress on Refractive Error. We are midway through the deadline set to achieve VISION 2020: The Right to Sight targets. Uncorrected refractive error was a late starter in the campaign but has increasingly become central, together with cataract programmes, to our blindness prevention efforts. While enormous gains have been made much has to be done. We need new and innovative ways of thinking to develop the solutions to meet the eye care needs of our world. Most importantly we need to upscale our efforts while ensuring quality comprehensive eye care services.
Interrogating and addressing socio-economic issues, political engagement and economic investment are increasingly going to occupy centre stage in our efforts to achieve our goals. Thus our focus in this conference on a broader development agenda which will contextualise refractive error as beyond the realms of a health care problem but an education, employment and quality of life issue Strong leadership, committed participants, innovative partnerships and consensus are demanded of the eye care fraternity if we hope to mobilise policymakers. civil society, academia and business leaders to see uncorrected refractive error as an enemy in our fight against poverty and disadvantage The first World Congress surpassed our expectations in attendance, outcomes and subsequent enthusiasm it generated The second congress will build on this success to take stock of what has been achieved since then and further expand the arsenal in our efforts to eradicate visual impairment and blindness due to refractive error.
We believe that the eye care challenges faced by our world need to be addressed in a multi-faceted manner. Therefore respected leaders in the development field will be addressing the conference on issues of poverty, development, broader health care challenges and eye care challenges, in order to set the context for the refractive error discussions that will follow. This will definitely add a dimension not experienced in eye care conferences and will empower the eye care fraternity with the broader knowledge and exposure to meet the challenges of a demanding world which is engulfed by an economic crisis, competing health care demands and social strife.
The World Congress on Refractive Error will provide participants in the eye care field a platform to jointly develop the future strategic direction for the management of uncorrected refractive error in respect of human resources, infrastructure. sustainable service delivery and research, to not only influence and contribute to comprehensive eye care and health care but also influence the social. political and economic agenda of our world.
The World Congress will once again be in our beautiful port city of Durban. South Africa and will occur soon after the soccer world cup after significant infrastructure investment has been made. With sun, sea, animals and mountains all part of the experience you will be forgiven if you indulge yourself with that much needed vacation as well.
I remind you of the following:
"Progress will not be achieved by the immense sacrifice of a few but by the humble sacrifices of the majority."
You can therefore make a difference by attending and contributing to what can be described as an evolving strategy.
Warm Regards,
Professor Kovin Naidoo
Conference Chair
World Congress on Refractive Error
<< Go back
