Message from WCO President

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) is pleased to present the Public Health Toolkit: Developing Optometry’s Leadership in Eye and Vision Care Solutions. Through globalization, the world has become significantly smaller while the need for quality eye and vision care has become significantly greater. Whether you live in a developed country, developing country or region encompassing developing nations, you are readily aware of the dire need for creating sustainable vision and eye health care services for underprivileged populations. The World Health Organization underscored this plight with its research, publications and formation of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight.

Yet, inevitable questions arise. How can I make a difference? How can I organize the necessary resources in government, eye health care, social care and public health to readily address this urgent need? This resource answers those questions and gives you – the optometrist – the ability to organize and develop VISION 2020 programs.

The WCO’s Public Health & Development Committee created the Public Health Toolkit to increase optometrists’ awareness, capacity and participation in VISION 2020 activities. You gain practical knowledge and skills to address the complexities of organizing a program or to contribute to existing programs. The material provides a step-by-step approach to incorporating the key components of a public health program while customizing interventions according to specific needs. The ominous challenge of developing or contributing to VISION 2020 national programs becomes an attainable quest.

We encourage you to use this resource to advance VISION 2020 programs in your country and identify the contributions you may make. The members of the WCO’s Public Health & Development Committee remain accessible for counsel and advice. We extend our thanks to the volunteers who crafted this invaluable product. We offer sincere appreciation to VISTAKON, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. for their generous support in the publication and distribution of the WCO’s Public Health Toolkit. The barriers for your involvement in VISION 2020 are effectively gone…now is the time for you to take action. For if not you, then who? If not now, then when?

Sincerely,

Victor J. Connors, OD President, World Council of Optometry 2006 - 2007