In a move that has been hailed as a breakthrough in the development of skilled eye health workers in the region, the degree course in Optometry came into being at the University of Guyana in August 2010.
The programme which was the culmination of a long-running campaign by the Caribbean Council for the Blind (CCB) came about in an effort to help bring the ratio of eye care professionals closer to acceptable international standards.
As a result CCB partnered with the University of Guyana, to launch a 4-year Bachelor of Science Degree in Optometry. Today the course of study includes students from The Commonwealth of Dominica; Guyana; Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia.
In addition to the BSc in Optometry the University of Guyana also offers the Certificate in Refraction Techniques, and an Associate Degree in Optometry .
At the launch of the degree program in Guyana in February 2010, Guyana’s Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy said the preservation of sight throughout the Caribbean must be a public health priority.
“It is a matter of fundamental human rights, unfortunately sight preservation, prevention of sight loss , the provision of services to those who live with visual impairments have been neglected challenges on the developmental agenda” he said
According to CCB-Eye Care Caribbean’s CEO, Arvel Grant, it is now anticipated that in 2014 , fifteen new Optometrists will be graduating.
“The English-speaking Caribbean needs at least six hundred Optometrists to equate Optometric standards currently obtained in Britain and Australia” he said.
In looking toward the future, CCB-Eye Care Caribbean plans to enter into similar arrangements with more universities across the Caribbean, to help fill the overwhelming gaps in service in the region’s eye health capabilities.