Introduction

Eye Foundation offers three training options for postgraduate ophthalmic study and training for aspiring Community Ophthalmic Nurses and technicians.
These course are offered on a rolling basis and are intensive. Only those who are committed to furthering their professional skills, and have a track record of success need apply. Each Course has its own set of prerequisites that are outlined in the course description documentation.
All courses are provided by Eye Foundation through the Eye Foundation Center for the Prevention of Blindness (EFCPB) and the Deseret Community Vision Institute (DCVI).

The DCVI was established in 2006 to meet the following set objectives:

1)    To reduce the rate of preventable blindness among the over 1million population in the area.

2)    Transfer eye care skills to the people by way of training and awareness programmes.

3)    Provide a Centre of Excellence close to the people to help cater for their eye care needs.

4)    Train existing medical personnel/Friends of Vision and equip them with basic eye care skills.

5)    Generate data for research

6)    Provide a centre for the production of basic ophthalmic consumables.

Eye Foundation Postgraduate Training Offerings

The EFCPB/DCVI offers the following opportunities for the training of eye care professionals:
  1. Ophthalmic Residency Training Program
  2. Ophthalmic Subspecialty Fellowship program
  3. Short courses in specific topics
    • Phacoemulsification conversion
    • Intravitreal injections
    • Retinal laser photocoagulation
    • Glaucoma lasers
    • B scan ultasonography
    • Fundus flourescein angiography (FFA)
    • Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
    • Gonioscopy
    • Evaluation of the pediatric patient and strabismus
    • Squint surgery
Others include:

A. Friends of Vision Training.

In October 2006, a new strategy was evolved to select 2 communities within each local government area of Ijebu northeast senatorial district and making them the target of advocacy. This allows a wider spread so that several communities can be sensitized at the same time.

Accordingly, 5 local governments were approached to form vision care committees (VCC) to select volunteers to be trained as Friends of Vision (FOV).

The sequence of events was as follows:

  1. The community appoints VCC members- 3 or 4 individuals.
  2. The VCC select volunteers from the communities as FOV. 1 volunteer is selected to cater for a population of 500 residents. Volunteers are matured, energetic persons, male or female who are literate and are ready to work for charity in the interest of their communities without expecting monetary rewards.
  3. FOV underwent a one-day training programme at the Deseret Community Vision Institute (DCVI).
  4. 119 volunteers from 9 communities have been trained in basic eye care education and examination as Friends of vision.
  5. FOV conducts screening and documentation of members of their communities.

The training was centred on the following:

  1. Brief concise history taking from persons with eye problems
  2. Visual Acuity testing
  3. Pen light eye examination
  4. Advice and counselling
  5. Referral to Eye hospital
  6. Community mobilization and Eye screening
B. Community Ophthalmic Nurses Course.

Earlier in 2006, the DCVI commenced discussions with the Ogun state College of Health Technology Ilese, Ogun state to jointly run two courses namely, Community ophthalmic nursing (CON) and Community Ophthalmic Technician (COT) Courses.

To this end, a curriculum development workshop was organized by the DCVI anchored by Dr. Hannah Faal, then, Regional Eye care consultant with the Sight Savers International.

The final curriculum is currently being used for the programs, jointly run by the 2 institutions. The training has started providing the much-needed manpower, complementing the activities of the ophthalmologist particularly at primary eye care and community level.

The training is primarily to provide eye-trained nurses at Primary Health Care  PHC) level for prevention, identification, management of minor cases and referrals.

To this end, 20 registered PHC nurses enrolled from 20 LGAs in Ogun state in March 2007.

DCVI donated complete set of diagnostic and examination kits to these nurses in March 2008 after their one-year course. The kits have been very useful in diagnosing eye diseases and helping Ogun state local areas to access eye treatment readily.

C. Community Ophthalmic Technicians Course.

It is a 2 years course plus 1 year internship. The first set of Graduands have been fully employed across all of Eye Foundation Centre branches in Lagos, Ijebu and Abuja. The second set is currently running their Internship program while there are two sets in their 1st and 2nd year respectively. The Ogun State College of Health Technology admits qualified candidates on a yearly basis and the training is conducted in conjunction with DCVI.

D. Clinical Postings/Experience by Ophthalmic Nurses.

Ophthalmic Nurses from Schools of Post- Basic Nursing Studies of Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria attend Clinical Postings at the DCVI Centre in Ijebu-Imushin on a yearly basis.

These include students from:

  1. School of Post-Basic Nursing Studies, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Edo State.
  2. School of Post-Basic Nursing Studies, Lagos University Teaching hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State.
  3. School of Post-Basic Nursing Studies, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Enugu State.

The Posting involves a wide range of Clinical instructions on the latest equipment used in surgery and clinics as well as lectures on diverse ophthalmic topics. At the end of the posting, they are awarded with certificates of attendance.

 

(Note: Course Dates, and availablity will be posted here as they become available.)