WAEH – Newsletter December
WAEH webinar
Same-day bilateral cataract surgery – breaking down the barriers
Register now for the WAEH Webinar about Same-day bilateral cataract surgery – breaking down the barriers on Wednesday 20 December 2023!
The Netherlands is a leading country in providing same-day bilateral cataract surgery as a treatment for cataracts. In a large study (coordinated by the University Eye Clinic Maastricht) involving 865 patients in 10 hospitals in the Netherlands, it has been shown that same-day bilateral cataract surgery is safe, effective and cost-effective. This study has established a strong basis for the widespread adoption of ISBCS across the Netherlands and the rest of the world. This webinar on 20 December at 12.00 CET will focus on the results of the study and the implementation hurdles in adopting ISBCS, such as logistical barriers and coordination with relevant stakeholders. Special attention is given to optimising logistics at the OR.
Please join our webinar about Same-day bilateral cataract surgery – breaking down the barriers on 20 December at 12.00 CET with Frank van den Biggelaar, Margaret Zhong and Shanna Honings from the University Eye Clinic Maastricht!
Learn from our WAEH members and join this webinar on 20 December 2023! Register here!
WAEH – Annual Meeting 2023 – A recap!
WAEH 17th Annual Meeting
Day one – Tuesday, October 10th
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
Day two and three
Wednesday and Thursday
October 11th & 12th
Sydney Eye Hospital
Day four – Friday, October 13th
Chatswood Private Hospital
Day five – Saturday, October 14th
WAEH 17th Annual Meeting
Sol Innovation Award
The winner of the SOL Innovation Award 2023 is The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Australia with a poster about A Developmental Approach to Equity and Inclusion Leading to Sustainable Cultural Change at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital! On the picture you see Cathy Kowalewski, our former chair of the WAEH and administrator of the Wilmer Eye Johns Hopkins – Baltimore, USA and Joanne Brodie, Director of Communications of The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
WAEH 17th Annual Meeting
WAEH Public Award
The Public Award 2023 has been won by Diana Malata, from The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital from Dublin, Ireland with her poster about the nurse-led corneal crosslinking clinic at the RVEEH in Dublin.
WAEH New Chair
The World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH) is delighted to announce the appointment of Brendon Gardner, CEO of The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, as the new Chair of the organization. He officially assumes this leadership role, succeeding the outgoing Chair, Cathy Kowalewski of Wilmer Eye Johns Hopkins, who commendably served in this capacity for the past two years. Brendon Gardner’s new position was formally announced during the 17th Annual Meeting of the WAEH.
Read more about the new chair of the WAEH here.
A HUGE THANK you to the team of RVEEH, Sydney Eye Hospital and Chatswood Private Hospital
Aboriginal Cultural Activity at RVEEH
Meet up of the CoP Human Resources during the WAEH2023
Are you a Human Resources professional and working in a WAEH member eye hospital? Want to join? Register here!
Community of Practice Nurses – meet up during WAEH2023
 |
Want to know more about education for nurses and allied health? Want to join? Register here!
WAEH Project
Determining the provision of ophthalmic nursing education among WAEH member institutions
The aim of this project is to determine the provision of ophthalmic nurse training and development among WAEH member institutions. Inconsistencies in ophthalmic nurse training have been identified as a globally issue. One of the key operational functions of the World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH) communities of practice (COP) for nurses is to share best practice across the different member hospitals. In addition to clinical skills, the WAEH COP examines best approaches to training and education to ensure that the workforce is equipped with the skills and knowledge for effective and competent practice.
If your institution is a WAEH member, you are kindly being requested to complete a short anonymous survey to evaluate the provision of ophthalmic nurse training at your institution. The survey will take not more than 5 minutes to complete. https://forms.office.com/e/9sTYv0GSEd
Please follow the link below to start the survey. If this does not work, please copy and paste the link into the search browser. If you have any queries or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the project team, Maaike van Zuilen or Tendai Gwenhure.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.
Yours Sincerely,
| Maaike van Zuilen Global Lead of the WAEH WAEH – The World Association of Eye Hospitals E: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org T: +31 (0)6 456 32 117 W: www.waeh.org |
Tendai Gwenhure WAEH Communities of Practice for nurses Email: t.gwenhure@nhs.net |
Dates 2024? We will announce the dates at the end of 2023!
Prima Medical Center Saigon, Vietnam & Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Services, Australia
New members of the WAEH
In a significant development for eye healthcare, two institutions, Prima Medical Center Saigon in Vietnam and Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Services in Australia, have officially become members of the World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH). The news has been met with great enthusiasm, as it marks a significant step towards furthering the field of ophthalmology and hospital management on a global scale.
“We are thrilled to welcome Prima Medical Center Saigon and Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Services to the WAEH community,” said Maaike van Zuilen, Global Lead at WAEH. “Their inclusion strengthens the network, enhancing our ability to drive innovation and improvements in the field of ophthalmology and hospital management.”
Find more information about the new members of the WAEH here!
Global Leaders Gather for Eye Hospital Forum
The World Association of Eye Hospitals 17th Annual Meeting is featured in Mivision! Read a small snippet below:
Experts from 37 eye hospitals around the globe shared knowledge and expertise about eye care advances, research, and safety at the World Association of Eye Hospitals’ (WAEH) 17th annual meeting in Australia.
Innovation in eye hospitals, quality in eye care, workforce issues, sustainability, philanthropy, and the important topic of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) were also discussed.
The meeting was hosted by The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, Sydney Eye Hospital and Chatswood Private Hospital in Sydney.
Find the entire article here!
News from our member in India – LVPEI
Caring for the Elderly
Mrs Channamasetti Sattemma, 78 years old, lives in Korukollu, a small and remotevillage in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. She came to the attention of our community health worker because of her severe vision loss; she depended on her grandchildren for all her daily activities. Sattemma was immediately escorted to our LnPeruri Venkateshwarlu & Kashiratnamma Eye Centre (a secondary care facility) in Akividu, about 20 kilometres from Korukollu. She had advanced cataract in both eyes and was deeply anxious because of her disability.
Around the world, Sattemma’s age cohort is expanding. The human population is growing older, with a consequent increase in the proportion of elderly adults. Three years ago, the number of adults in the world who are over 60 years of age, outnumbered the number of children under the age of five. According to the UN World Population Ageing Report, India’s elderly population is on the rise as well, expected to surge from 8% in 2021 to a substantial 20% by 2050—or over 300 million individuals. This significant demographic transformation demands our attention.
Want to know more about Sattemma and India’s older adults? More information here!
Rotterdam Eye Hospital
2 eyes operated on cataract at the same time
In September, the first patients underwent surgery for cataracts on two eyes in 1 day. This was done under local anesthesia.
Bart Zijlmans, ophthalmologist specializing in cataracts: “Cataract bilateral surgery, or cataract surgery on 2 eyes in 1 day, is of course a very nice development for patients. This way the patient has to come to the hospital less often and is helped on two eyes in 1 day. The patient therefore sees clearly again much faster with two eyes.” It is also nice for the patient’s companion or family caregiver. The preliminary examinations for both eyes are scheduled at the same time, the surgery takes place on one day and also after the surgery the patient only has to come back once. After surgery, the number of hours of home care required is also halved. “And we also help the environment a little this way, because the patient doesn’t have to take the car to the hospital as often,” smiles Zijlmans.
Read the entire article here (In Dutch).
Rotterdam Eye Hospital
The Rotterdam Eyehospital and Erasmus MC invest in eye research and future care
The Departments of Ophthalmology and Radiology & Nuclear Medicine of Erasmus MC and Het Rotterdams Oogheelkundig Instituut (ROI) of Het Oogziekenhuis Rotterdam are jointly establishing the Eye Image Analysis Group Rotterdam. The collaboration makes scientific research possible by combining knowledge about image analysis of the eye.
The eye is the only place in the human body where nerve tissue and blood vessels can be seen directly. Good imaging can contribute to the diagnosis and prediction of diseases. Not only of eye diseases, such as advanced macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, but also of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and even autoimmune diseases. Read more about this wonderful collaboration here (In Dutch).
Prima Medical Center Saigon
Diabetes-related eye complications screening for the elderly on World Diabetes Day 14/11
On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, Prima Medical Center Saigon* in collaboration with another Hoan My sister provider – Hoan My Cuu Long Hospital organized a program of diabetes screening for the financially vulnerable elderly people in Can Tho City, Mekong Delta region, South of Vietnam.
According to statistics from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, the situation of diabetes control in Vietnam remains challenging as the rate of people with the disease increases rapidly and becomes increasingly younger.
Specifically, over the past 10 years, diabetes in Vietnam has increased rapidly from 2.7% of the population in 2002, to 5.4% in 2012 and 7.06% in 2021 in the age group 18-69, with nearly 4.5 million people infected. 60% of cases have eye complications.
Read more here
Mivision
Free Australian-first app reminds patients when to have eyedrops
A smartphone eye drop app developed by a junior doctor aims to improve compliance and clinical outcomes by reminding patients and their carers when to instil their eyedrops.
Launched in October, the Sydney Eyedrop planner and reminder application triggers reminders when eye drops are due and also tracks eye drop use. It is designed for the public to promote ophthalmic medication adherence by providing notifications to take eye medications according to their doctor’s advice and was developed to make it easier for them to clarify communication.
Read the whole article here.
WAEH Projects
Current WAEH Projects are:
1. Assessing Evidence-based Management Practices and variations within WAEH member hospitals. This project was is lead by The Maastricht University Clinic for Ophthalmology and Aravind Eye Care System.
2. Evaluating the Provision of Ophthalmic Nurse Education among WAEH member countries. This project was is lead by Moorfields Eye Hospital.
3. Volunteer to Career. This project was is lead by Moorfields Eye Hospital + Community of Practice Human Resources.
These are all international projects in which we would also like to involve our other members. Would you like to participate in any of these projects? Let us know! Send an email to Maaike van Zuilen: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Projects of the WAEH – 2024!
Each year 2 to 3 projects are funded by the WAEH to help shape and improve ophthalmic care on a global scale.
Examples of projects:
- WAEH 2023 – Assessing Evidence-based Management Practices and variations within WAEH member hospitals. This project is lead by The Maastricht University Clinic for Ophthalmology and Aravind Eye Care System.
- WAEH 2023 – Evaluating the Provision of Ophthalmic Nurse Education among WAEH member countries. This project is lead by Moorfields Eye Hospital.
- WAEH 2023 – Volunteer to Career. This project is lead by Moorfields Eye Hospital + Community of Practice Human Resources.
- WAEH 2021 2022 – Medical Outcomes for Keratoconus and Primary Retinal Detachment
- Development of a patient communication package about How to apply eyedrops the best – launched during the WAEH Annual Meeting in Baltimore on World Sight Day 2022
- Development of a package for Enucleation – ready to be downloaded from our WAEH Knowledge Hub
- Improving Efficiency within Intravitreal Injection Clinics
And many more in previous years.
Each project can be budgeted with a budget of a maximum of 7.500 euro. This is paid from the fees of the WAEH membership. You can use the following WAEH project format to send in your project proposal: WAEH project proposal. Please note that all proposals are reviewed by the board. The board will make a decision about the project proposals during one of the board meetings. Due to budget constraints not all project proposals can be accepted.
Round 2024 – Deadline 31 January 2024
- Incoming proposals reviewed by board in February / March board meeting
- All proposals need to be sent in using the standard WAEH project format
Send your project proposal to Maaike van Zuilen: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Looking for funding for your project and want to brainstorm project ideas, international cooperation with other eye hospitals and the WAEH format? The next WAEH Information Session about the Call for Projects will take place in the second week of January. Interested in joining this information session? Send an email to Maaike van Zuilen: maake.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Sponsoring companies of the WAEH 2023 meeting
WAEH Whatsapp group
2023 / 2024
Agenda
2023
14 December, 8am / 9 am EST – WAEH Board Meeting
20 December, 12.00 CET – WAEH Webinar: Same-day bilateral cataract surgery – breaking down the barriers
2024
27 February, 01.00 pm CET – Community of Practice for Nurses – Research impact on clinical practice
21 March, 12.00noon CET – WAEH Board Meeting
16 May, 01.00 pm CEST – Community of Practice for Nurses – Clinical leaderships
20 June, 12.00noon CEST – WAEH Board Meeting
6 September, 01.00 pm CEST – Community of Practice for Nurses – Opthalmic nurse education/professional development
19 September, 12.00noon CEST – WAEH Board Meeting
November: WAEH Annual Meeting – Dates to be announced
12 December, 01.00 pm CET – Community of Practice for Nurses – Clinical / specialist role
19 December, 12.00noon CET – WAEH Board Meeting
Questions? Share news?
Do you have a special request? Would you like to organize a webinar or share news? Would you like to be (digitally) connected to a certain person in one of our member eye hospitals? Please feel very welcome to hare your questions via the new Community Tool or contact Maaike van Zuilen: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org