MANILA, Philippines - Global eye care leaders Ciba Vision and Alcon have renewed their partnership with the Centro Escolar University’s College of Optometry to provide continuing professional optometry education through an innovative online teaching portal.
Three years after forging their partnership with the setting up of the Academy for Eye Care Excellence, Ciba Vision, Alcon and the CEU College of Optometry launched the academy’s e-learning portal (http://www.bettereyesforbetterlife.com/cibavisionacademy/index.php) that provides distance education to Filipino eye care practitioners.
“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Ciba Vision and Alcon that aims to provide quality education to Filipino eye care professionals,” said CEU president and chief academic officer Dr. Ma. Cristina Padolina.
“Our continuing partnership with Ciba Vision and Alcon provides our optometry professionals access to an innovative and convenient form of continuing education,” said Dr. Milagros Borabo, director of the CEU Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) Program.
“As eye care professionals, we have an obligation to our patients to keep our practice current, our skills and knowledge updated. The launch of this online education portal will help us fulfill this obligation,” said Dr. Jessica Flor, dean of the CEU College of Optometry, the country’s premier optometry educational institution.
“Continuing education is necessary to maintain the high quality of optometric practice. As such, we laud the partnership among Ciba Vision, Alcon and the CEU College of Optometry,” said CEU assistant vice president for academic affairs Dr. Teresa Perez.
“Our collaboration with CEU in providing quality education to Filipino eye care professionals represents the core values of our company: partnership, professional excellence and quality patient care. With our partners, we are committed to help Filipinos see better,” said David Avila, general manager of Alcon Philippines.
“From the time we first forged our partnership in September 2008, Ciba Vision, Alcon and the CEU College of Optometry have made significant progress in providing quality education and support to Filipino eye care professionals. To date, we have provided continuing professional education to almost 500 local eye care practitioners,” said Dr. Jeanette Romualdez, professional services consultant of Ciba Vision Philippines and a CEU College of Optometry alumna.
The Ciba Vision Academy for Eye Care Excellence (AECE) aims to help Filipino eye care professionals stay up to date with the latest clinical information on contact lenses and lens care, manage their practices as businesses, communicate effectively with patients and prescribe vision correction solutions that best meet patients’ lifestyle and eye health needs.
The academy’s topnotch faculty includes the country’s leading optometrists such as Dr. Rosalinda Bono, Dr. Baby Perez-Sison, Dr. Millette Romualdez, and Dr. Ritchie Suba-an.
According to Dr. Jeanette Romualdez, the academy’s e-learning portal offers a total of 19 course modules, which can be taken at the eye care professional’s own pace.
“Completion of a module is equivalent to one CPE (continuing professional education) unit. The eye care professional is awarded a certificate upon completion of a module,” she said.