MMUST Fifth-Year Optometry Students Undergo Intensive TOT Training, Equipping Them With Skills to Empower CHPs to Identify Common Eye Diseases!

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s fifth-year Optometry and Vision Sciences students have undergone an intensive three-day ToT training, facilitated by MMUST, in partnership with Amrita University-India and University of Valencia-Spain. The training, which aimed at equipping the students with the skills to train Community Health Promoters (CHPs) and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) in identifying common eye diseases, ran from 24^th to 26^th September, 2025. The activity was flagged off by the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Planning, Research and Innovation)-Prof. Peter Bukhala, and coordinated by the Chairperson, Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences-Dr. Julius Rono.

Throughout the training, students were challenged to become eye health educators in their respective communities. They were reminded that their role as optometrists should go beyond the clinic, and that they have the responsibility to raise awareness, share knowledge and promote eye health wherever they go.

At the end of the programme, Amrita University’s Dr. Susan Witt presented each student with a certificate, a Visual Acuity (VA) chart, a rechargeable pen torch, an occluder, a Pupillary Distance (PD) rule and a branded bag.

Notably, the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences received equipment donations, comprising a Lensometer and a Keratometer from Vision without Borders, Spain. The equipment was officially handed over to MMUST by University of Valencia’s Prof. Isabel Signes.