The ophthalmic training program is a component of New Sight Eye Center activity founded in 2017. Ministry of Health accredited it through the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. As part of the accreditation requirement, New Sight Eye Center and the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery identified two African countries, The Gambia and South Africa for benchmarking and best practices on ophthalmic nursing training.
In 2016, the Ophthalmic Training Program curriculum was developed from the harmonized West African generic ophthalmic curriculum with the technical support of Mrs. Ellen A. Clegg, former Coordinator, Korle-Bu Ophthalmic School, Accra, Ghana. It was reviewed and finalized by representatives from the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery and stakeholders in 2017. The establishment of the ophthalmic training program in Liberia by New Sight Eye Center had significantly impacted the development of the eye health educational sector.
The aim of the program is to produce an Ophthalmic Nurse Practitioner who would fit into both curative and preventive eye health within the community. The professional Ophthalmic Nurse would have acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes to recognize the eye health needs of individuals, families and communities and to participate effectively and efficiently in meeting those needs.
Optometric technicians assist an optometrist, an eye doctor who provides primary vision care, such as prescribing corrective lenses and administering eye exams. Optical technicians make optical parts for scientific instruments such as microscopes and telescopes, lenses for spectacles and contact lenses.
The aim of the program is to produce an Ophthalmic Nurse Practitioner who would fit into both curative and preventive eye health within the community. The professional Ophthalmic Nurse would have acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes to recognize the eye health needs of individuals, families and communities and to participate effectively and efficiently in meeting those needs.
The New Sight Eye Center (NSEC) and the Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Ministry of Health (MoH) have finalized the working of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed to establish a comprehensive eye center in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
