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SPECIAL OLYMPICS OPENING EYES
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ABOUT SPECIAL OLYMPICS | OPENING EYES | INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE SPONSORS | FACTS ABOUT MENTAL RETARDATION | CONTACT US
Special Olympics Opening Eyes (SOOE) is a program designed to provide quality eye care for all people with developmental disabilities, and particularly for those who are competing as Special Olympics athletes. The Sports Vision Section of the American Optometric Association (AOA) developed the original pilot program, which eventually became SOOE. As of 1997, SOOE has become an official program of Special Olympics Incorporated (SOI). There are several ways that the SOOE program helps to increase the athlete’s access to care : (1) Providing vision screenings, refractions, and dispensing of appropriate eyewear to Special Olympics athletes during Special Olympics Events. (2) Making permanent changes in the attitudes of the optometrists and optometry students who volunteer to participate in the SOOE vision screenings. (3) Educating the athletes, their guardians, coaches and administrators about the importance of vision to the athletes’ performance in sports, school and work. (4) Providing continuing education to our volunteer optometrists in order to familiarize them with the best techniques for testing this patient population. Another important way SOOE helps to increase access to care is by giving volunteer optometrists and students an opportunity to work with a population to which they may not have had previous exposure.
Make People with MR around the World See
Document Large Unmet Need for Eye Examination - 33% fail in their eye health exam - 65% were not examined in 3 years - 26.7% are not seeing 20/40 - 37% need eyeglasses Why under examined ……. People with mental retardation : - Do not receive proper care - Deinstitutionalization - Under examined because (1) difficult exam techniques; (2) does not matter if their vision is poor and (3) does not complain. In 2001, Special Olympics Philippines added direct clinical care with comprehensive eye exams, refraction and eyeglass dispensing.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS OPENING EYES - PHILIPPINES
The Birth ….. Special Olympics Opening Eyes – Philippines (SOOE-Phils) launched its program October 2001 at the Quirino Grandstand, Luneta with Drs. Carmen Abesamis – Dichoso and Janice Marie Diez as the national clinical director for Luzon and VisMin, respectively. Cooperating Agencies …….. 1. Special Olympics Philippines 2. Optometric Association of the Philippines (OAP) 3. College of Optometry, Central Colleges of the Philippines 4. Philippine Pediatric and Orthoptic Society (PPOS) 5. Philippine College of Optometrists (PCO)
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