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Reflections on Providing Low Vision Services to Persons with Albinism in Tanzania

It can be overwhelming to start a program in a foreign country or pioneer something from the ground up. This presentation will provide an overview of where a novel low vision program in Tanzania has come over ten years, how it all started and also provide stepwise processes in its growth. Use of limited resources and capacity building with local and international collaborators will be reviewed as well. A review of albinism and the causes of vision impairment with low vision prescribing options will also be provided and can be applied to existing classroom and activities of daily life settings.

Participants will be able to:

  1. Identify background information necessary to start a low vision program in a foreign country.
  2. Recall key clinical characteristics of patients with albinism.
  3. Recall common and current low vision management strategies for albinism.
  4. Describe barriers in the ongoing development and growth of a vision program.
  5. Describe steps to grow the capacity of the program.
  6. Identify how opportunities to share/promote program information can occur.

This session was presented by Rebecca Kammer, OD, PhD, FAAO on October 14, 2021.