Doha
THE Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in collaboration with the Primary Health Care Corporation and Ministry of Education and Higher Education, organised a workshop recently to promote eye health of students.
The two-day workshop focused on 125 nurses and health professionals working in independent, private and community schools in the State of Qatar.
Head of Non-Communicable Diseases section at MoPH, Dr Kholoud al Mutawa, stressed on the importance of promoting the eye health of school students as measurements of visual acuity is mandatory for all school students in the country.
Dr Mutawa said,"When we collaborate together to detect causes of low vision in students, we will definitely reduce the prevalence of low vision among children and protect this important age group from low vision."
During the workshop, Dr Shadi al Ashwal, an ophthalmologist at MoPH, highlighted common eye diseases and eye trauma and how to deal and refer such cases. 
The workshop also featured lectures on the ways of referring and following cases of low vision in students. The workshop has been accredited by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) and each participant will get CPD. 
It is noteworthy that the MoPH has held several training workshops in the past as part of its Blindness Prevention Program aiming to decrease the prevalence of low vision in students in parallel with the global initiative 'Vision 2020' that aims to eliminate blindness including childhood visual impairment.
Source: http://www.qatar-tribune.com/news-details/id/103050