The World Council of Optometry (WCO) and Alcon have renewed their education initiative to advance dry eye disease professional education globally. Now entering its fourth year, the partnership’s multifaceted initiatives surrounding the mitigation, measurement, and management of dry eye disease have garnered widespread exposure and interest since launching in 2022. Dry eye disease is a chronic, painful condition that impacts 1.6 billion people worldwide, with rising occurrence linked to increased technology use, environmental triggers, and an aging population.
WCO President Cindy Tromans said, “We are excited to extend and build upon our partnership with Alcon for the fourth year. Creating new ways to support dry eye education for optometrists globally is essential, as the disease can lead to additional complications and declines in quality of life without proper identification and management. Our collaboration in the months ahead will bring more innovations in dry eye disease tools and resources. Clinicians and educators can employ these in both practice and academic settings.”
Carla Mack, OD, MBA, FAAO, FBCLA, Head of Global and U.S. Professional Education and Development for Alcon, added, “The global increase in dry eye disease is concerning, but we’re encouraged by the optometry community’s strong commitment to improving detection and care. Together, we’re empowering optometrists to have more meaningful conversations — with patients and peers — about measuring, managing and mitigating dry eye disease in their communities.” The initiative’s website, dryeye.worldcouncilofoptometry.info, includes the WCO Alcon Dry Eye Wheel, an interactive tool created in consultation with Professors Jennifer Craig, Lyndon Jones, and James Wolffsohn, along with a series of dry eye webinars and additional resources for clinicians and educators.
About the World Council of Optometry: The World Council of Optometry (WCO) is an international membership-based non-profit organization for individual optometrists, industry professionals and optometric organizations that envisions a world where optometry makes high quality eye health and vision care accessible to all people. Its mission is to facilitate the development of optometry around the world and support optometrists in promoting eye health and vision care as a human right through advocacy, education, policy development and humanitarian outreach. To learn more, visit www.worldcouncilofoptometry.info. About Alcon: Alcon helps people see brilliantly. As the global leader in eye care with a heritage spanning over 75 years, Alcon offers the broadest portfolio of products to enhance sight and improve people’s lives. Their Surgical and Vision Care products touch the lives of more than 260 million people in over 140 countries each year. Learn more at www.alcon.com.
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