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Community Eye Health J 2005;18(55): 114-116

NOTICES

Courses and conferences

Bridging Communities and Eye Care Providers to Achieve VISION 2020 in Africa
Date: December 5-10, 2005. Venue: Moshi, Tanzania. Course objectives: To address the challenge of developing and implementing strategies for bridging communities and hospitals. This course will provide eye care programme managers with the skills necessary to develop, implement, and monitor strategies for increasing utilisation of services (primarily cataract, refractive error and trichiasis but also including childhood cataract and other conditions) by the population in need. Target audience: Eye care programme managers (MoH, NGDO, service groups), trainers, and key decision makers of national prevention of blindness programmes.Further details: For information and admission procedures please visit the KCCO website (www.kcco.net) or contact: Dr Paul Courtright (PCOURTRIGHT@KCCO.NET) KCCO, PO Box 2254, Moshi, Tanzania.

International Ophthalmic Nurses Association, Golden Jubilee Conference - 50 years of IONA
A Celebration of Ophthalmic Nursing. Date: April 7 & 8, 2006. Venue: London, UK. Call for papers: Please submit an abstract of 500 words.Application forms for IONA membership and for the conference are available from: Carol Bullock, 3 Montgomery Close, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 6NF. UK. to whom abstracts should also be sent. Email: JOHN.BULLOCK@UNISONFREE.NET

World Ophthalmology Congress (Previously called ‘International Congress of Ophthalmology ICO’). Date: February 19-24, 2006. Venue: Sao Paulo, Brazil. The World Ophthalmology Congress will be held in conjunction with the XXVI Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology and the XVII Brazilian Congress on Blindness Prevention. Information on the congress and on the committees, scientific programme and coordinators of different areas are available at the congress website www.ophthalmology2006.com.br or email: INFO@OPHTHALMOLOGY2006.COM.BR

19th International Society for Geographical & Epidemiological Ophthalmology Congress
The 19th ISGEO congress will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 18-19 February 2006, prior to the World Ophthalmology Congress. Abstract submission and registration forms can be obtained by emailing Dr. Paul Courtright (PCOURTRIGHT@KCCO.NET) or by accessing the ISGEO website at www.kcco.net/isgeo

British Council for Prevention of Blindness (BCPB) Fellowship Programme

Closing date for receipt of applications: 25th November 2005.

Aims of the Fellowships: To fund research and training in prevention of blindness for high calibre clinicians and scientists from the UK and overseas. Projects must further the goals of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, for the elimination of avoidable blindness.

In 2006, BCPB seeks to fund one Fellow from the UK and one Fellow from a low-income country to undertake projects that focus on Africa. The Fellowships will be worth up to £60,000 per year for two or three years. Applications must be submitted jointly by the Fellowship candidate and the supervisor at the host institution in the UK.

Further details: For full information and an application form, contact Jackie Webber at BCPB, 29b Montague Street, London WC1 5BW or by email: INFO@BCPB@ORG

Website: www.bcpb.org

Registered charity number 270941.

Scholarships for training in small incision cataract surgery: the Seeing is Believing Programme

In 2003, issue number 48, there was a major feature on manual small incision cataract surgery (SICS).

The Seeing is Believing * SICS training programme is helping contribute to one million sight restorations. The advantages of the SICS technique are clear:

From the patient’s perspective:

From the providers perspective:

Seeing is Believing is a four year programme supported by Standard Chartered Bank, which aims to restore sight to one million people in ten countries by World Sight Day, 2007. One component of the programme entails offering scholarships to ophthalmologists in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kenya in SICS. The SICS scholarship scheme offers partial funding up to a maximum of $500. Training has already started in India and Pakistan. Bangladesh and Kenya are developing availability. Application for this training is open to public/NGO sector surgeons (as opposed to private) with good microsurgical skills and who already do approximately 1,000 ECCE/IOL surgeries per year. Some candidates may be accepted at lower rates of output. In India the focus is on NGO/charity sector surgeons as other grants from the MoH may be available for government surgeons. The Seeing is Believing scholarship has an application process that identifies those surgeons who will best contribute to the objectives of the Seeing is Believing programme.

If your work specifically makes cataract surgery available for needy people, you have a history of high output and high quality ECCE/IOL surgery, and you would like to undertake this training, please send for further details. You should email Sight Savers International (SSI) for an application form and more details, depending on your country of residence, as follows:

India: Ranjish Kattady at RKATTADY@SIGHTSAVERS.ORG

Pakistan: Niazullah Khan at NKHAN@SIGHTSAVERS.ORG.PK

Bangladesh: Dr Enamul Kabir at EKABIR@NETEZEN.NET

Kenya: Nancy Thuo at NTHUO@@SIGHTSAVERS.ORG.KE

No other subsidiary correspondence will be entered into. The final choice of candidates rests with SSI Head Office in the UK.

* “Seeing is Believing” is a corporate social responsibility programme of Standard Chartered Bank who are working in collaboration with Sight Savers International (SSI). It is a ten-country international initiative, with SSI as lead agency, delivered through partners of SSI, Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM), The Fred Hollows Foundation, Helen Keller International and ORBIS. It features service delivery, infrastructure development, equipment supply, medicines & consumables, and training. Training for SICS is also being developed in Sri Lanka and Thailand, but are outside the scholarship scheme. The primary objective of “Seeing is Believing” is a joint effort to contribute towards one million sight restorations by World Sight Day in October 2007. Peter Renew. Sight Savers International. UK. PRENEW@SIGHTSAVERS.ORG

New resources from ICEH

Four posters

Stevens S. Control of Infection in Ophthalmic Practice
Stevens S & Cox I. Care of Ophthalmic Surgical Instruments
Stevens S & Cox I. Sterilization and Disinfection
Stevens S. Assisting the Blind and Visually Impaired
Available from ICEH (address on page 102) Price: £5 per single poster, £12 for a set of any three posters, £15 for a set of any four posters. All above prices include post and packing. Email: SUE.STEVENS@LSHTM.AC.UK

Slide set with booklet - full colour

Stevens S. Practical Ophthalmic Procedures - Volume 4
Available from ICEH (address on page 102) Price: £15 to developing countries (£20 elsewhere) plus £5 post and packing. Email: SUE.STEVENS@LSHTM.AC.UK

A new comprehensive ophthalmic nursing textbook

Marsden J, editor. Ophthalmic Care
Available from ICEH (address on page 102) Discount price: £26 plus post and packing.
Email: SUE.STEVENS@LSHTM.AC.UK

Standard List for a VISION 2020 Eye Care Service unit

Medicines, equipment, instruments, optical supplies and educational resources 2006/07
The updated VISION 2020 Standard List 2006/7 will be available on-line from World Sight Day, 13 October 2005, at www.v2020.org and www.iceh.org.uk. In December, printed copies of the Standard List will be available free of charge from the International Centre for Eye Health. Please contact Sue Stevens at the ICEH address on page 102 or email SUE.STEVENS@LSHTM.AC.UK to receive a paper copy of the Standard List.

Other new resources

Ophthalmic instruments and equipment - their care and maintenance
Aravind Eye Hospital, 2005 - DVD or VHS video format
Ophthalmic staff use a range of delicate, complex, and expensive equipment which needs to be kept in good order. Many of them work in hospitals far from easy access to dedicated maintenance and repair facilities. The Instruments Maintenance Department of Aravind Eye Hospital in India, with funding from Sight Savers International, has produced a CD and video which combines text, graphics, and video to create a comprehensive visual guidebook to the maintenance and repair of direct ophthalmoscope, streak retinoscope, indirect ophthalmoscope, slit lamp, operating microscope, keratometer, phaco machine, A Scan, Schiotz tonometer, optics cleaning, blood pressure apparatus and surgical instruments. This resource will be available in various formats, including DVD and VHS video, from October 2005 and will cost Indian Rs500 or UK £7.

Those resident in India wishing to purchase the CD should apply to:Manager (Stores), Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai 625020, Tel: +91 (0) 452 535 6100 Ext 192, Fax: +91 (0) 452 253 0984,
Email: ARAVIND@ARAVIND.ORG

Those residing outside India should contact: ICEH (address on page 102) Email: SUE.STEVENS@LSHTM.AC.UK

Solomon AW et al. Trachoma control: a guide for programme managers
(WHO/PBD/GET/04.6) Available from the World Health Organization (WHO) Email: PBD@WHO.INT

Calling all budding authors!

Article writing competition for the Community Eye Health Journal

Readers are invited to submit original articles (not previously published) on a theme relevant to implementing VISION 2020. Four winning articles will be published in the Community Eye Health Journal. Articles should be innovative, based on VISION 2020 priorities, and of interest and relevance to our readers. Our readers are mostly in developing countries and work in community eye care as general nurses, ophthalmic nurses/assistants, refractionists/optometrists, public health specialists and ophthalmologists. Winning articles will be selected by the Editorial Committee.

Length: 1,500 words maximum.

Deadline: Extended to 28th February 2006.

Photographs and graphics: Photographs, diagrams and tables can be submitted to illustrate the article. If photographs of patients are included, they should be accompanied by evidence of the patient’s (or guardian’s) written consent to use the photograph for educational purposes.Format: Articles can be handwritten, typed or in electronic format.

How to send articles

By post

Article Competition, The Editor, Community Eye Health Journal, ICEH, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

By email

Put ‘Article Competition’ as the subject and send to: VICTORIA.FRANCIS@LSHTM.AC.UK and ANITA.SHAH@LSHTM.AC.UK

Submissions to the Community Eye Health Journal

Community Eye Health Journal is published quarterly. It addresses the problem of avoidable blindness and focuses on countries where the burden of preventable blindness is greatest. Articles combine clinical issues with public health approaches, which include disease control, research, planning and management, appropriate technology, human resource development, advocacy, social sciences and health communication. Attention is also paid to programmes for people who are blind or living with low vision. The principle aim of the journal is educational, to ensure that up-to-date and relevant information reaches eye care and general health workers of all levels in a reader-friendly format that can easily be adapted for training. The journal is also published on-line and on CD-ROM. Selected articles are published in special French and Chinese editions. The Indian edition includes a four page supplement containing articles relevant to Indian readers and managed by the Indian Supplement Editorial Board.

Contributions are considered in two broad categories:

  1. Thematic commissioned articles
    Each issue is based on a theme for which all articles are commissioned. The editorial committee maintains a database of authors who are specialists in their field and able to provide a synthesis of relevant research and best practice, with reference to the realities of work in countries where most preventable blindness occurs. Invited authors are provided with a detailed brief for their article in a commissioning letter, and work closely with the Editor on the format and appropriate graphics to ensure that each issue is presented as a high quality reference source.

  2. Unsolicited articles: the EXCHANGE section
    Non-commissioned articles are considered for publication in the EXCHANGE section. Authors are invited to submit brief reports, research abstracts or letters (no more than 500 words) on topics related to community eye health and prevention of blindness. Figures, tables and other graphic material are also considered for the EXCHANGE section.

Authors are expected to have obtained necessary ethical permissions for the use of photographs and agreement from publishers of previously published work. Submissions should preferably be made in digital format, but hard copy is also accepted. Full name of authors, qualifications, affiliation and address must be provided,
as well as credits for any photographs or illustrations.

Email: VICTORIA.FRANCIS@LSHTM.AC.UK, ANITA.SHAH@LSHTM.AC.UK

Post: EXCHANGE section, Community Eye Health Journal, ICEH, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

For more details on author guidelines, please see our website www.cehjournal.org or email ANITA.SHAH@LSHTM.AC.UK or write to Anita Shah at the address above.