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The ICEE model allows high volume refraction training to be provided and was initially implemented at the Malawi School of Optometry by a consortium of non-government organisations including ICEE and Sightsavers International working in conjunction with key in-country stakeholders.
The Malawi School of Optometry project aims to train optometrists and Optometric Technicians for the Southern Africa region who will cater for the refractive error and vision impairment needs of previously underserved communities. The project has a number of aims and objectives including:
- training Optometric Technicians to provide basic refraction services through public
health facilities and to people in rural areas in the targeted district
- training optometrists
- establishment of two Optical Workshops to ensure that people in rural and
marginalised areas have access to affordable spectacles
- increased practitioner-to-patient ratios
- provision of career paths and opportunities for training in eye care cadres in Southern Africa. Previously, there has not been the opportunity for career progression for mid-level eye care personnel in the field of eye care. With the multiple entry and exit model, graduates from the diploma programme can re-enter the system mid-way to gain a degree qualification, hence creating a career path, with a standardised, regionally accepted, skills level.
At the end of the inaugural four-year cycle, it is envisaged that 40 OT’s and 10 optometrists will have qualified through this training programme. By Year Three, two Optical Workshops will have been established in Malawi as part of this programme, one at each site, which will support the training and provision of spectacles for patients served through the academic optometric clinics.
By 2012, it is anticipated that more than 60 optometric personnel will have been trained to deliver primary eye care and refractive services through the school.
* The Malawi School of Optometry project is supported by funding from Optometry Giving Sight |
