The Family of Optometric Mentors (FOM) has celebrated its 10th anniversary with a renewed commitment to expand mentorship, clinical training, and innovation in Nigeria’s eye care sector.
The milestone was marked at the group’s ninth Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja, where leaders outlined a fresh vision for tackling preventable blindness and strengthening clinical competencies across the country.
National Coordinator, Dr. Alwell Maduakolam, said FOM has grown from just five mentors in 2014 to a structured organisation with 25 state chapters, 100 trained mentors, and 50 aspiring mentors in training. Over the past decade, the network has trained more than 4,000 optometrists and nearly 1,000 students through workshops, mentorship programmes, and institutional outreach.
“By raising the capacity of optometrists, especially at the primary eye care level, we are directly contributing to the fight against avoidable blindness,” Maduakolam noted, adding that nearly half of the world’s 2.2 billion people with visual impairment suffer from preventable causes.
Structured Mentorship Model
FOM’s mentorship modules now span 46 areas of optometric care, including diagnostics, ocular therapeutics, binocular vision, contact lenses, and low vision rehabilitation. The group’s core mission of “making practice better” has, according to Maduakolam, translated into measurable improvements in clinical competence nationwide.
The organisation has enjoyed support from the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) and the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN). Pioneers such as Dr. Felix Olafisoye, hailed as the Great Grand Mentor, and past NOA President Dr. Damian Echendu were recognised for their early contributions.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, FOM unveiled plans to:
- Launch an Online Academy and a physical training centre
- Publish a bi-monthly clinical journal
- Expand its mentorship model into a pan-African framework
- Scale institutional outreach and subspecialty fellowships
- Produce optometry textbooks tailored to the African context
“As we step into our next decade, we do so with boldness and vision, knowing that the future of eye care in Nigeria will be built by those we mentor today,” Maduakolam said.
The anniversary also recognised Deputy National Coordinator, Dr. Loveth Okorie, and Organising Committee Chair, Dr. Braimoh Emmanuel, for their roles in planning the milestone event.
FOM remains largely funded through mentor contributions and partnerships with organisations such as Vision Pro, Skipper EyeQ, EssilorLuxottica Foundation, and Thelish Eye Centre.
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