Ophthalmology Commons^™

Student Educational Background, Perceptions And Expectations Towards Optometry: An Emerging Eye Health Profession Mozambique., James Loughman, Ving Fai Chan, Vanessa Raquel Moodley, Luigi Bilotto, Kovin Naidoo

Articles

Background: The University of Lurio, School of Optometry in Mozambique is a new program in Africa. The school, the first to serve Portuguese-speaking Africa, can act as a template for such initiatives in other African countries and other limited-resource settings around the world. A major challenge facing such programs is the lack of knowledge about the profession, which impacts the recruitment of students and their expectations of the program. This study was conducted to understand students’ pre-enrollment educational background, perceptions and career expectations as an optometrist in Mozambique so as to inform future enrollment and other similar initiatives. Methods: First-year …

Evaluations Of Refraction Competencies Of Ophthalmic Technicians In Mozambique., James Loughman, Kajal Shah, Kovin Naidoo, Margarida Chagunda

Articles

Purpose: Ophthalmic technicians (OT) work at health facilities in Mozambique and are trained to provide primary and secondary eye care services including basic refraction. This study was designed to assess OT competence and confidence in refraction, and investigate whether an upskilling programme is effective in developing their competence and confidence at refraction. Methods: Thirty-one trainee OTs and 16 qualified OTs were recruited to the study. A background questionnaire was administered to determine the demographic profile of the OTs. A confidence levels questionnaire explored their self-reported skills.

Factors Affecting The Academic Performance Of Optometry Students In Mozambique., James Loughman, Kajal Shah, Kovin Naidoo, Luigi Bilotto

Articles

Purpose. The Mozambique Eyecare Project is a higher education partnership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model of optometry training at UniLu´ rio in Mozambique. There are many composite elements to the development of sustainable eye health structures, and appropriate education for eye health workers remains a key determinant of successful eye care development. However, from the first intake of 16 students, only 9 students graduated from the program, whereas only 6 graduated from the second intake of 24 students. This low graduation rate is attributable to a combination of substandard academic performance and student dropout. The aim …

One Student One Family And The Mozambique Eyecare Project, Stephen Thompson, Aoife Phelan, Tatiana Santana, Elizebete Catarino, Vivien Ocampo, Cesar Faria, James Loughman

Articles

Background - The Mozambique Eyecare Programme is funded by Irish Aid and designed to address the need for optometric education in Lusophone Africa. It is a multi-partner collaboration between Universidade Lúrio, Mozambique, Technological University Dublin, Ireland, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and The International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) an international Non Government Organisation. A key output from the programme is the development of an optometry school based at Universidade Lúrio, the first of its kind in Mozambique. The aim is to address unmet eye care needs through human resource development.

All students enrolled at Universidade Lúrio, including the optometry …

The Mozambique Eyecare Project: Implementing A Model That Addresses Uncorrected Refractive Error In Lusophone Africa., Stephen Thompson, Diane Wallace

Conference Papers

BACKGROUND

Optometric education and resources are drastically deficient in most of Africa, more so in Lusophone Africa where the problem is compounded by language barriers which isolate these countries from related developments in Africa and/or the developed world.

The Mozambique Eyecare Programme is a multi-partner collaboration between The International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE), Universidade Lúrio in Mozambique, Technological University Dublin, and the University of Ulster in Ireland, designed to address the need for optometric education in Lusophone Africa.

AIM

This paper aims to document the current situation with regards to human resource development in eyecare in Mozambique and offer …