Thirteen years on: The long journey of optometry in Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia is a developing African country with a population of more than 110 million. Visual impairment and blindness are among the public health problems in the country. The development of the eye health sector is promising although not adequate to fully address the existing problems that are relatively serious. The country is making an effort towards reaching VISION 2020, the right to sight initiative. For successfully accomplishing this goal, training primary eye care providers like optometrists plays a key role. This article provides an overview of the journey of 13 long years of the training programme in optometry in Ethiopia.