(L to R) Professor Jennifer Craig, professor Lyndon Jones and professor James Wolffsohn.
  
ST. LOUIS—The World Council of Optometry (WCO) and Alcon have named three global experts as lead faculty for their new dry eye disease education initiative. The worldwide evidence-based program is designed to raise optometrists’ understanding of dry eye etiology and prevalence, diagnosis and practical management. Professors Jennifer Craig, Lyndon Jones and James Wolffsohn will distill the growing amount of research and clinical evidence into accessible educational content. This will begin with a series of online events and content.

Professor Craig, PhD FCOptom, FAAO, FBCLA, FCLS, heads the ocular surface laboratory in the department of ophthalmology at the University of Auckland (New Zealand). As a therapeutic research optometrist, she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, leads international multicenter clinical trials, and holds visiting academic appointments around the world. Her research focus is the ocular surface, primarily dry eye disease and tear film dysfunction.
 
She regularly delivers continuing education and research lectures and publishes widely in scientific and clinical press. She has contributed to the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society’s (TFOS) International Workshops on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Contact Lens Discomfort and served as Vice Chair for TFOS Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) II.
 
Professor Jones, DSc, FCOptom, FAAO, is the director of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo (Canada). His research interests focus on the interaction of novel and existing contact lens materials with the ocular environment, dry eye, and the development of novel materials for ocular drug delivery. He has authored more than 450 refered and professional papers (including serving as lead author on the TFOS DEWS II Management and Therapy Report), a textbook, and has given more than 1,000 invited lectures at conferences worldwide.
 
Professor Wolffsohn, BSc, MBS, PhD, FCOptom, FAAO, is head of the school of optometry and department of audiology at Aston University (United Kingdom). His main research areas are the development and evaluation of ophthalmic instrumentation, myopia management, contact lenses, intraocular lenses, and tear film. He is a National Teaching Fellow, has published more than 290 full peer-reviewed papers, and presented at numerous international conferences. He is the academic chair of the British Contact Lens Association, having previously served as president and was chair of the BCLA Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Reports (CLEAR).
 
More information on the WCO and Alcon dry eye disease education initiative including the timing of the first educational session will be available in the coming weeks.  Updates will be posted to www.worldcouncilofoptometry.info and to the initiative’s dedicated website, which is in development.
 
The World Council of Optometry based here, is an international membership-based non-profit organization for individual optometrists, industry professionals and optometric organizations that envisions a world where optometry makes high quality eye health and vision care accessible to all people. Its mission is to facilitate the development of optometry around the world and support optometrists in promoting eye health and vision care as a human right through advocacy, education, policy development and humanitarian outreach.