BHVI CEO receives international award

Naidoo was presented the Prevention of Blindness Shield Lecture award by the president of the Saudi Ophthalmology Society, Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmad Al Saud, after being recognised for his work in the areas of avoidable childhood blindness and cataract.Specifically, the award recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution to the prevention of blindness and vision impairment, either in their home country or globally. The lecture is a feature of the internationally recognised event, which attracts more than 1,500 attendees each year.Aside from his position as BHVI CEO, Naidoo is also heavily involved with several charities and initiatives around the world. He is founder and chair of African Vision, which aims to address the backlog of cataract services in South Africa, and is also the campaign director of Our Children’s Vision, which works to upscale, accelerate and expand access to eye health services children.“The consequences of a child not being able to see clearly cannot be underestimated,” Naidoo said.“These children are often misunderstood as being unintelligent, un-athletic, and introverted. When in reality they are simply unable to see well enough to get involved and enjoy the things kids love to do.”This recent industry honour follows closely behind the Henry B. Peters Morial Award that Naidoo received in Anaheim last Novber from the American Acady of Optometry.