The World Council of Optometry (WCO) has announced that the 2024 World Optometry Week, from 17–23 March, and specifically World Optometry Day on Thursday 23 March, will be themed ‘Advancing optometry’s commitment to global eye care’.
World Optometry Day shines an annual spotlight on the profession of optometry and the contribution of optometrists worldwide to increasing access to eye health care as a human right.
This year WCO aims to highlight optometrists’ ongoing work across the globe to improve equitable access to eye care as well as the profession’s role in promoting the adoption of Integrated People-centred Eye Care (IPEC) in countries’ health systems, as recommended by the World Health Organization’s 2019 World Report on Vision.
“As we approach World Optometry Week 2024, I am encouraged to see how optometry as a profession is embracing the need to address the large burden of preventable vision impairment,” said WCO President, Dr Sandra Block. “We continue to educate our patients as well as stakeholders who understand the importance of access to quality eye care. Optometry has taken a leadership role in addressing the many challenges.”
We continue to educate our patients as well as stakeholders who understand the importance of access to quality eye care
Resources Available to Optometrists
WCO has created a raft of social media resources that optometrists can use for advocacy and education in the lead up to and during World Optometry Week and World Optometry Day. Additionally, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has developed the Advocacy to Action Toolkit, which provides information about advancing the IPEC model as the future of equitable eye care.
