Vision Excellence Awards: Naomi Nsubuga

Dr. Naomi Nsubuga is an optometrist from Uganda with over 25 years of experience in a variety of settings in the UK, USA and in Africa. She has worked in the private sector, in hospital-based and public health optometry, as well as in academia. She obtained both Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Optometry degrees from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University in the USA and is a Fellow of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians.

Dr. Nsubuga is a member of the National Prevention of Blindness Committee in Uganda and serves on the Technical, Low Vision and Child Eye Health committees. She has been appointed on committees that developed the National Strategic Eye Health Plan, the Low Vision Guidelines, and the Clinical Guidelines for Eye Health in Uganda. She has served on the Legislation and Education committees of the World Council of Optometry (WCO) and is currently on the Public Health Committee of the African Council of Optometry (AFCO). She is one of the founders and is the current President of the Optometrists Association of Uganda (OAU).

Dr. Nsubuga has worked as a Regional Programme Manager for an international NGO managing community eye health projects in Eastern Africa in 5 countries: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. She has worked with government institutions to lobby for the training, recognition, regulation, and creation of posts for optometry in the public sector; strengthening refractive error services; child eye health services and health systems strengthening. She has managed a variety of projects in areas of Human Resource Development (optometry development, workforce development), Infrastructure development, Child Eye Health, School Eye Health and Comprehensive Eye Health. Dr. Nsubuga is currently an optometry lecturer at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, a Low Vision and Child and School Eye Health advisor and consultant to the Ministries of Health and Education as well as organisations working in Uganda.

Dr. Naomi Nsubuga is an IAPB eye health hero.