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INTRODUCTION
The OAP has recognized its role in the preservation of sight and prevention of blindness in the Philippines. For the realization of its role, OAP identified key areas or groups of population that need paramount attention, namely: the concerns of special children (children with mental retardation), vision screening of school children (particularly grade 1 and 2), low vision awareness and sight saving (preservation) campaign. Since its reorganization last 1998, OAP has worked with various organizations for the development and implementation of public service programs.
In 1999, the Optometric Association of the Philippines through its affiliate society, the Quezon City Optometric Society, Inc. entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Rotary Club of Quezon City to train public elementary school teachers in vision screening and to provide optometric services for school children grade 1 and 2 in selected public schools in Quezon City. The OAP in collaboration with the Philippine Pediatric Optometry and Orthoptics Society developed a training program for school teachers and trained the teachers to conduct vision screening. In connection with this program, the OAP volunteers provided a comprehensive eye and vision examination among those who failed the screening done by the school teachers.
The Optometric Association of the Philippines is working closely with the Special Olympics International (SOI) through its local affiliate Special Olympics Philippines (SOP). The SOI-SOP has various projects such as Special Olympics Opening Eyes (SOOE). SOOE is an SOI program that provides comprehensive eye and vision examination side by side with the Olympic games of special children (children with mental retardation). The OAP in collaboration with Philippine College of Optometrists (PCO), Philippine Pediatric Optometry and Orthoptics Society (PPOOS) and the Optometry Department of the Central Colleges of the Philippines had implemented the SOI-SOOE program in the past 2 years.
The OAP as part of its public information campaign has developed an eye health education curriculum for grade 4 to 4th year high school. This program is known as SIGHT (an educational program) and was launched last 2001. Many OAP volunteers all over the country went to various schools and taught the eye health curriculum through the guidance of school teachers. The aim of this program is to educate the youth about the indispensable role of sight in learning and in daily living, proper eye care and provide working knowledge about how the eyes work. The OAP aims to continue this program nationwide, The OAP through its Education Committee has developed a manual to support the effective and continuous implementation of this program.
The OAP is currently developing another project called the Sight for Life. The Sight for Life projects is a low vision awareness campaign to create proper understanding of low vision problem in the country and help rehabilitate the visually impaired individuals through proper coordination of resources. The OAP aims to launch this project this year.
To further strengthen its public service, the OAP will utilize tri-media in its campaign on sight preservation. It is the goal of the OAP to provide a proactive approach in sight preservation and blindness prevention through proper public information drive.
On top of its focused project, OAP is continuously providing optometric services to many less fortunate members of the society all over the country through the community outreach programs of its affiliate societies. The Manila Optometric Society, an OAP affiliate has been collaborating with the City of Manila in providing optometric services among its less privileged population. In year 2001-2002 through is project EyeDok Para Sa Masa, the Manila Optometric Society in cooperation with the Optometric Society of Makati City (OSMC) and Pasay-Paranaque-Las Pinas Optometric Society (PPLPOS) conducted a free comprehensive eye and vision examination and provided prescription glasses courtesy of the Vice Mayor of Manila, Honorable Danny Lacuna. OAP used various hospitals of the city namely, the Gat Andres Medical Center, Ospital ng Maynila and Ospital ng Sampaloc as venue for this month long project and referred those with medical eye needs to the eye department of the hospitals.
The Davao City Optometric Society chose the Lumad (an ethnic group in the Southern part of the country) as a recipient of their community outreach program. The Davao City Optometric Society conducted an eye and vision examination, provided prescription glasses and referred those with medical eye needs.
The OAP will continue its community outreach project for the general population and will expand this program by including the screening of patients with cataract and glaucoma and develop a referral system for the management of both cataract and glaucoma. The OAP hopes to link up with the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology vis-à-vis this project.
The OAP was invited by the National Council on Sight Preservation to participate in the national agenda on sight preservation. The OAP committed to proactively participate in the pursuit of the national agenda established by the National Council on Sight Preservation. This includes screening of cataract and refractive errors in children. The OAP expressed its willingness to support this program of the National Council on Sight Preservation by coordinating its program through its body.
For the greater attainment of this project, the OAP established its Standing Committee on Public Affairs and Services and put its manpower resources together and organized the OAP National Taskforce on Sight Preservation.
