Canadians Honoured at 1st World Congress of Optometry

Monday, August 24 2015 | 00 h 00 min | News

Canada was well represented at the 1st World Congress of Optometry (WCO), held from August 14 to 16 in Medellín, Colombia.

The inaugural WCO was organized by the World Council of Optometry in partnership with the Colombian Federation of Optometrists and brought together specialists from over 40 countries.

Dr. George Woo, founder of the world-renowned Centre for Sight Enhancement in Waterloo, Ontario, received the Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the field of low vision rehabilitation.

Canadian optometrist Dr. Allan Jones was the recipient of a WCO International Optometrist Award for his contributions to the development of vision care in the developing world. Dr. Jones has worked with the charity Canadian Vision Care for over 25 years and founded the first optometry school in Malawi as well as SPECS Eyetrain, a vision clinic in Manila, Philippines, constructed out of antique train cars.

World Council of Optometry president, Canadian optometrist Dr. Susan Cooper, in her speech at the awards presentation, said, “Each and every one of these award winners has made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and furtherance of their profession, and to supporting the WCO in realising our vision of a world where optometry makes high quality eye health and vision care accessible to all people.”

The next WCO will be held in Hyderabad, India, in 2017.

Further information: http://www.worldoptometry.org/en/news/index.cfm/WCO%20announces%20international%20optometrists%20awards