Expanding access to eye care through collaboration

In many parts of the world, the optometry workforce remains under-recognised or otherwise unevenly distributed. In some countries, optometrists are not fully integrated into health systems. In others, barriers such as limited training opportunities or regulatory frameworks can prevent them from practising to the full extent of their skills.

These challenges must be addressed now because the need for eye care is only increasing. Eye care touches almost every part of life, from education and employment to overall health and wellbeing, yet millions of people still can't access the care they need, even for the basics such as correction of refractive error and presbyopia, let alone detection and management of other preventable blindness conditions such as glaucoma, cataract and diabetes.

Addressing the global burden of preventable vision impairment is going to require a stronger, more integrated eye care workforce.

Collaboration in global eye care

The theme for this year’s World Optometry Week reflects a simple reality: no single profession can meet the global demand for eye care alone.

The concept of A shared vision: Collaboration in global eye care highlights the importance of healthcare teams working across professional and system boundaries to deliver effective, accessible services. It reflects the growing recognition that strong, sustainable eye care systems rely on teamwork – between optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians, nurses, technicians, community health workers, educators, policymakers, and more.

By emphasising collaboration, WCO hopes to encourage more integrated approaches that ultimately benefit both patients and communities.

Combining strengths

Collaboration helps ensure that care is organised around the needs of patients rather than within professional silos, allowing each professional to contribute their expertise while ensuring continuity of care for the patient. Optometrists play a key role in providing accessible primary eye care and ensuring timely referral when specialised treatment is needed.

When eye care professionals work together in coordinated systems, patients benefit from defined pathways of care. Eye care can be more accessible to local communities with earlier detection, referral, and management of eye disease.

When eye care professionals work together in coordinated systems, patients benefit from defined pathways of care

Each profession, association, or educational institution will have their own unique strengths. Combining those strengths can only be beneficial so continued collaboration between professional bodies, educational institutions, and policymakers is needed to ensure that optometrists are trained, regulated, and supported to practise effectively within their health systems.

WCO also sees that collaboration across countries and regions is vital for the profession. Sharing knowledge, resources, and best practice helps build stronger systems globally and allows us to learn from one another’s successes.

Inspiring a renewed commitment to collaboration

I hope this year’s World Optometry Day celebration serves as a moment of recognition for the incredible contributions optometrists make every day while also inspiring renewed commitment to collaboration across the eye care community.

If World Optometry Day encourages more dialogue between optometry and other professions, strengthens partnerships within health systems, and raises awareness of the importance of accessible eye care, then it will have achieved something meaningful.

I encourage optometrists to take a moment to reflect on the people and partnerships supporting their work and consider how those relationships might be strengthened.

I encourage optometrists to take a moment to reflect on the people and partnerships supporting their work and consider how those relationships might be strengthened

That could mean reaching out to colleagues in other health professions, engaging with local policymakers, or joining professional networks where people talk about what works. Collaboration often begins with conversations, and those connections can ultimately lead to better care for patients.

World Optometry Day is a reminder that when we work together– with a shared vision– we can expand access to eye care and improve outcomes for communities around the world.