Diploma Course in Community Eye Health

Dates & fees for 2011 will be posted here as soon as they are confirmed. Please check periodically for updates.

Course outline

This three-month Diploma course is aimed at people who want to know more about the major blinding eye diseases and the VISION 2020 initiative.

The taught element of this course will also be attended by students from the MSc Community Eye Health.

Who should apply for the course?

This course is especially suitable for eye care professionals, including ophthalmologists, optometrists and project managers who want to receive training in Community Eye Health, but are not able to be away from their place of work to attend the MSc in Community Eye Health.

Setting & Programme 

The course is divided into three sections, beginning with three orientation days in Week 1:

Weeks 1 to 5 will focus on the control of blinding eye diseases, and will provide a detailed overview of the main blinding eye diseases and how best to treat or prevent them. This will cover childhood eye diseases, ocular infections and non-communicable adult eye diseases.

Weeks 6 to 10 are spent researching and writing up a strategy document. The aim is to provide students with the opportunity to relate the contents of the course to their own working situation or field of interest, by developing a chosen idea or area of interest into a practical plan. The strategy document outlines the plans which will be instituted on their return to their home country.

Weeks 11 to 15 are about how to plan a VISION 2020 project. This section consists of a teaching unit on How To Plan and Implement a VISION 2020 project and one on Resources and Technology for VISION 2020. These teaching units will enable students to assess, plan and develop the human, financial and technical resources for prevention and control of blindness, with particular emphasis on a VISION 2020 project.

Teaching Methods

The course will be taught by staff of the International Centre for Eye Health. The teaching methods will consist of lectures, group work, structured assignments and self-learning.

Methods of Assessment

Assessments will be taken at the end of each study unit, and a written strategy document of no more than 5,000 words must be submitted at the end of the course.

Course Fees

Home/ EU - £2,156.

Overseas - £7,040.

The fee includes all course materials but excludes accommodation, living expenses and travel expenses. Applicants must pay the full course fee, or provide a letter guaranteeing funding from their sponsor, by 22 January 2010 in order to secure their place on the course.

An assessment of fee status will be made for each applicant on receipt of their application form. Further information on fees and fee status.

International Centre for Eye Health

The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) was established by Professor Barrie Jones in 1980 at the Institute of Ophthalmology. ICEH moved to the LSHTM in 2002, where it is led by Professor Allen Foster and forms part of the Clinical Research Unit in the Department of Infectious & Tropical Diseases. The main aim of the ICEH is to facilitate a reduction in blindness with a particular emphasis on low income countries.

There are an estimated 37 million blind people in the world and the majority of these people live in low income countries. At least 75% of blind people can have their sight restored, or are blind from preventable causes. In 1999 the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly launched “VISION 2020: The Right to Sight”. The goal of VISION 2020 is to eliminate unnecessary blindness, promote good vision and thereby improve the quality of life of people with visual loss. The ICEH is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness. The work of ICEH supports the goals of VISION 2020.

Please return a completed application Form along with an equal opportunities form to:

Registry, LSHTM, 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP, UK, Tel: +44 (0)20 7299 4648

Alternatively, by fax:

Fax: +44 (0)20 7323 0638

Or email: shortcourses@lshtm.ac.uk

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to improve global health through its programme of short and full-time postgraduate study.