As a little girl, Josephine Ibironke, OD ‘03, Resident ‘04, MPH, FAAO, moved to Nigeria with her immigrant parents. At the time, she didn’t know there was a profession called optometry, and she doesn’t recall exactly why she visited an optometrist while there. What she vividly remembers is being in a dark room with two glowing semicircles coming close to her eye as their edges were about to touch.
And, everything changed that day. Dr. Ibironke started to dream differently. “I remember thinking that I wanted to be an eye doctor who was going to take care of kids one day, too,” she said. “That Nigerian optometrist didn’t simply give me my first eye exam. He actually gave me a vision for my life. With that one encounter, I could not have imagined that I would be embarking on a purpose and a call.”
Now dean of her alma mater, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University, Dr. Ibironke shared that memory during her keynote address to the Association of Nigerian Optometrists in North America (ANONA), at the American Academy of Optometry’s (AAO) annual conference, which took place Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 in Anaheim, California.
Dr. Ibironke told the ANONA members in attendance why she believed in the importance of the optometric profession.
“Because somewhere today, another little girl or a little boy is waiting, and this is why our work matters. The little boy or little girl is waiting for someone to help them see, waiting for someone to recognize disease before it steals their vision, waiting for someone who may unknowingly inspire a future clinician, scientist, educator, leader, or a dean,” she said.
Dr. Ibironke emphasized that expanding access to eye care should mean more than opening clinics or dispensing glasses. The profession, she said, has the power to create life-changing moments that can change the course of someone's entire future. “That is the kind of impact our profession is capable of,” she said.
PCO was well represented at the ANONA meeting. In addition to Dr. Ibironke, other alumni included André R.O. Whitehead, OD ‘04, Nene Moma, OD ‘06, Adekunle E. Oluwadare, OD, MS ‘05, Carla Denise Frierson, OD ‘05, and current ANONA president, Emeka V. Nwokedi, OD ‘03.
Dr. Ibironke told ANONA members that their experiences give them a unique vantage point in the world. Having roots in Nigeria and professional ties to North America, many of them have been educated in one place and have practiced in another. She challenged them to view that journery not as a happenstance, but an opportunity to connect cultures, advance eye care and expand their impact across borders.
“Geography should never determine the quality of care a patient receives,” she said. “We are uniquely positioned to build bridges where others see borders, bridges to connect ideas, connect institutions, connect people, countries and generations.”
She urged attendees to make the most of their unique influence, using their experiences and connections for future generations. of doing much with the influence they have.
Current ANONA president, Dr. Nwokedi reiterated the organization’s primary goals is to provide free medical missions and vision services in Nigeria and North America for indigenous individuals and rural communities. “Tonight is not an ordinary event. It marks the consolidation of ideas and the realization of the dream, a celebration of vision, unity and peace,” said Dr. Nwokedi. “It’s a declaration of our collective resolve to promote eye care delivery in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Nigeria.”
