The second annual regional conference for people with visual impairment, which was organized by Baseera Foundation under the patronage of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population, and Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, stressed the necessity of social solidarity in order to achieve full integration of people with visual impairment, enhance their independence, and ensure their access to their rights to education, labor, and a decent life.
The conference was held on February 12th and 13rd, in the presence of a gathering of ophthalmologists and specialists in this field from Egypt and abroad.
Hamed Mabrouk, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Baseera Foundation, confirmed that the second edition of Baseera International Conference on Low Vision is held under the patronage of Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population, pointing out that the conference aims to shed light on the problems of visual impairment at the local, regional and international levels, and to review the latest developments in addressing such challenge.
Doaa Mabrouk, Executive Director of Baseera Foundation, emphasized that the conference addressed several topics, including the latest methods for assessing and sorting visual impairment, the role of educational institutions in providing an appropriate environment, policies and services provided globally, and the importance of diagnosis, rehabilitation, and training on supportive tools for people with visual needs, as well as the importance of training them on assistive technology to support the independence and social integration of the visually impaired.
The conference also discussed the genetic influences on vision, ways of raising awareness and prevention, and the importance of cooperation between medical and rehabilitation service providers.
On her part, Dr. Heba Hagrass, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations, emphasized that visual impairment problems affect more than 2.2 billion persons globally, noting that half of these cases could have been prevented or treated.
She showed that the rates of untreated visual impairment exceed 80% in some African regions, while it is less than 10% in high-income countries, expecting that population growth and aging will lead to a growth in such figures in the future. She also stressed the importance of addressing the issues of the scarcity of job opportunities for the visually impaired in light of the technological advancements and artificial intelligence.
In the same context, Dr. Maha Helaly, representative of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, affirmed that the conference highlights the importance of distinguishing between visual impairment and blindness, noting that Baseera Foundation has cooperated with the Ministry since 2002 to raise awareness, provide resources, and organize early detection campaigns and guidance for treatment to ensure that every individual receives the appropriate support.
Participants in the conference sessions called for the need to strengthen social integration policies and called on government and private institutions to enforce comprehensive policies to integrate people with visual disabilities in all aspects of life. They also called for organizing awareness campaigns to enhance society’s acceptance of the visually impaired and eliminating the social and psychological barriers that hinder their integration.
During the session on using modern technology to support people with visual disabilities, the experts called for the need to expand the development and provision of AI applications and assistive devices based on modern technology, as well as the necessity to encourage scientific research and innovation in developing technological tools that contribute to improving the quality of their life and enhancing their independence.
On the other hand, the conference sessions, which were held over the two days, addressed important topics such as: Genetics and Medical Care: Towards a Safer Future for Eye Health, a session that was moderated by Dr. Mustafa El-Sherbiny and in the presence of a group of international experts. Dr. Elias Traboulsi, a pediatric ophthalmologist and geneticist at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States, reviewed the latest research related to early diagnosis of genetic diseases that affect vision.
Dr. Zi Ping Jin, Vice President of Beijing Tongren Hospital, also gave a virtual intervention that addressed early therapeutic intervention mechanisms to reduce the impact of visual impairments caused by genetic factors. While Dr. Bart Leroy, Professor at Ghent University Hospital, shed light on modern techniques in genetics that contribute to improving opportunities for treatment and prevention of genetic eye diseases.
The conference discussed the importance of rehabilitation programs for people with visual impairment, as Dr. Henry Green, co-founder and president of Ocutech and an optometrist, shared advanced insights into how assistive devices can be used to enhance the quality of daily life. While Dr. Lotfi Merabet, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, discussed the importance of constant training and rehabilitation to help the visually impaired achieve optimum independence.
For her part, Dr. B. Vijayalakshmi, Chief Medical Consultant at the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Clinic, reviewed vision rehabilitation programs that support children and adults in overcoming visual challenges, emphasizing the role of integration between medicine and technology in enhancing patients’ abilities to adapt and integrate into society.
The conference devoted a session to discussing the role of modern technology in improving the lives of people with visual disabilities, where Mr. Mohamed Sami, CEO of SAP Egypt, stressed the importance of digital solutions in supporting the visually impaired through smart software and applications.
The session also included an intervention by an international speaker, Dr. Tariq Al-Abadi, advisor to the Artificial Intelligence Research Center at Microsoft in the USA, during which he discussed the latest developments in artificial intelligence and the wearable devices that enhance the people with visual disabilities’ competency to move around and interact with the surrounding world.
During the session on employing people with visual disabilities, Dr. Ahmed Taher, member of the Board of Directors of Baseera Foundation, Associate Professor at the American University in Cairo and founder of Integrated Marketing Solutions, reviewed the need to provide proper work environment for the visually impaired, enhance their job opportunities, and develop effective strategies to integrate them into the labor market, stressing the importance of providing training and rehabilitation programs that suit their abilities, and supporting institutions to develop comprehensive and fair recruitment policies.
Baseera Foundation conference stressed the importance of integration between health care, rehabilitation, modern technology, and employment to ensure a more independent and productive life for people with visual disabilities, stressing the need for constant cooperation between various sectors to achieve a more comprehensive vision for society.
To conclude, Baseera Foundation thanked all sponsors, the Dutch Visio Foundation, the Drosos Foundation, and the Commercial International Bank (CIB).
