An agreement has been signed for the establishment of Haiti’s first School of Optometry.
The Memorandum of agreement was signed on Tuesday representing a collaboration between I’Universite d’Etat d’Haiti, Brien Holden Vision Institute, Optometry Giving Sight, VOSH International and Charity Vision, with support from the University of Montreal.
“This is a great moment in the development of eye health in Haiti,” said Jean Claude Cadet, dean of the faculty of medicine and pharmacy at I’Universite d’Etat d’Haiti, in a press release from Optometry Giving Sight.
Gratitude
“We are most grateful to our international partners for helping us to realize our vision of establishing optometry as a profession in Haiti. The partnership is needed in order to improve access to primary eye care for the millions of people in need.”
Only three optometrists
Currently, only three optometrists and 58 ophthalmologists serving Haiti’s 10 million people, most of whom are located in the capital.
The school will be offering a 5-year Bachelor of Vision Science degree and aims to graduate 16 optometrists per year.
The collaborators hope to have students starting in October 2017.
