Prof Kovin Naidoo

The Vision Impact Institute (VII) has announced the addition of Professor Kovin Naidoo to its distinguished advisory board.

Born in South Africa, Professor Naidoo is a renowned academic, optometrist, researcher, educator and internationally celebrated public health leader. He has worked hard to improve access to and delivery of eye care in Africa and is a strong advocate for the disadvantaged throughout the world. A Fullbright Scholar, Professor Naidoo has a long history of working to raise awareness around the impact of uncorrected vision and was also announced the World Economic Forum African Social Entrepreneur of the year in 2010.

“I am honoured to be asked to join the Vision Impact Institute’s Advisory Board, where I can help further raise the awareness of the need to provide everyone – rich and poor, young and old – with access to quality eye care,” said Professor Naidoo. “I’ve seen first-hand the impact that can be made by ensuring communities have access to eye screening and corrective lenses and I am committed to playing a role in helping address this critical social issue.”

The Vision Impact Institute serves as a global connector of knowledge, data and solutions in a quest to achieve better vision globally. The Institute’s mission is to raise awareness about the socio-economic impact of poor vision and to foster research where needed, encouraging measures in the field of corrective vision. Impaired vision is currently the world’s most widespread disability, affecting 4.3 billion people throughout the world, of whom 2.5 billion have no access to corrective measures. The cost of this significant public health issue is today either unknown or underestimated by the policy makers even though all the required solutions including eye exams and corrections are available.

“The Vision Impact Institute is delighted to welcome Professor Naidoo,” said Jean-Félix Biosse Duplan, President of the Vision Impact Institute. “The social and economic costs of uncorrected visual impairment are significant, and the global community will benefit from his extensive knowledge, experience and expertise in fighting this international challenge.”