In order to improve eye health and prevention of blindness activities in the Region under the renewal of primary health care reform as recommended in the World Health Report 2008; the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean organized a regional workshop on integrating and strengthening eye health within primary health care (PHC) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region from 14 to 16 February 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Participants from 21 Member States attended the meeting, including regional and international experts and representatives from nongovernmental organizations and collaborating centres.

The workshop was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the United Arab Emirates; Dubai Health Authority, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, IMPACT-EMR, Sightsavers and Noor Dubai.

The objectives of the meeting were to:

present the current status of primary eye care services and their integration in primary health care in EMR Member States;

determine the extent to which eye health has been integrated in primary health care, health systems, and school health and community based initiatives;

assess the strength and weakness of primary eye care services within the context of renewal of primary health care by EMR Member States;

present best practices and success stories in the primary eye health provision in EMR;

identify strategies and opportunities for strengthening eye health within the health and development agendas specifically primary health care in EMR; and

develop recommendations for the training of primary health care workers on eye care.

The outcomes of the meeting included the development of a document summarizing the status of eye health in Member States of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, outlining the strategies and opportunities for integrating eye health within the community and the primary health and health system identifying priority areas for action; the collection of necessary information needed to implement the action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment; the identification of priority areas of action to support primary health care reforms, including eye health; the identification of opportunities and approaches to improve interaction and stimulate collaboration between primary health care/eye care providers and the community.

Summary report