Hyderabad is hosting the 2nd World Congress of Optometry (WCO) and International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) meeting at the HICC, 11-13 September 2017, and at L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) – in the presence of the gathering of optometrists and vision scientists – was inaugurated the Brien Holden Institute of Optometry and Vision Sciences (BHIOVS) today. The Chief Guest – Prof Desmond Fonn, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo unveiled the plaque.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Gullapalli N Rao, Founder and Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute said, “Dr Brien Holden, Founder of the Brien Holden Vision Institute in Australia, was a visionary leader and one of the most influential optometrists of his generation. His career was spent inspiring scientists and healthcare professionals around the world with his dream of ‘vision for everyone, everywhere’. It is with great pride we name Brien Holden Institute of Optometry and Vision Sciences (BHIOVS) after this visionary, a dear friend and well-wisher. We will continue to do the good work and take his legacy forward.”
From its very inception, training has been a key part of LVPEI’s activities and the programs are targeted at all levels of personnel in the eye care service delivery chain. The course provides theory and practical knowledge of clinical optometry, intense hands-on exposure to various clinical pathologies and diagnostic procedures and management through evidence based practice of optometry and problem based learning.
The Brien Holden Institute of Optometry and Vision Sciences (BHIOVS) will be an umbrella organization for all activities of Optometry – education, research, patient care and human resource capacity building. Dr Shrikant Bharadwaj will be the Director of BHIOVS. The ten year old Bausch and Lomb School of Optometry, ranked as the best in India, will be part of the BHIOVS.
LVPEI’s mission is to be a centre of excellence in eye care services, basic and clinical research into eye diseases and vision threatening conditions, training, product development, and rehabilitation for those with incurable vision disability, with a focus on extending equitable and efficient eye care to underserved populations in the developing world. The institute’s coordinated and interlinked functions of patient care, rehabilitation, eye banking and product development, training, research and community eye care serve a wide range of people in need of eye care and a large network of practitioners and students.
