This year, the World Council of Optometry (WCO) will celebrate World Optometry Week 2024 with the theme “Advancing Optometry’s Commitment to Global Eyecare” to highlight the ongoing work done by optometrists globally to improve equitable access to eyecare.
World Optometry Week, which will be held from 17 to 23 March, and specifically World Optometry Day on 23 March, serves to highlight the profession’s role in promoting the adoption of Integrated People-centered Eye Care (IPEC) in countries’ health systems, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)’s 2019 World Report on Vision. IPEC offers tailored eyecare services that are comprehensive, affordable, and of a high standard.
“As we approach World Optometry Week 2024, I am encouraged to see how optometry as a profession is embracing the need to address the large burden of preventable vision impairment,” WCO president Dr Sandra Block said.
“We continue to educate our patients as well as stakeholders who understand the importance of access to quality eyecare. Optometry has taken a leadership role in addressing the many challenges.”
Optometrists are invited to use WCO’s World Optometry Week Social Media Resources, available in seven different languages, to assist in World Optometry Week and World Optometry Day advocacy.
WCO partners at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) have developed the Advocacy to Action Toolkit to learn more about advancing the IPEC model as the future of equitable eye care.
Organisations are encouraged to share World Optometry Day and World Optometry Week 2024 initiatives with WCO at communications@worldoptometry.org.
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