KnowTheGlow recently had the privilege of engaging in a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation with Fabrizio D’Esposito, Head of Region for the Western Pacific at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). While the dialogue between Fabrizio and Megan Webber, Co-Founder of KnowTheGlow, and Helene Dameris, Director of Global Outreach, was primarily exploratory, it quickly revealed both the depth of Fabrizio’s impact in global vision advocacy and the striking alignment between his work and KnowTheGlow’s mission to promote early detection and intervention in children’s eye health.
Fabrizio brings nearly two decades of experience in public health to his current role. Trained as a pharmaceutical scientist, his early work focused on noncommunicable diseases and diabetic eye disease. Over the past ten years, he has concentrated fully on eye health. Before joining IAPB, he held influential roles with the Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia and served as a Sensory Function Consultant to the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, helping evaluate national eye health programs and contributing to the development of the region’s NCD framework.
During the meeting, Fabrizio expressed admiration for KnowTheGlow’s advocacy approach. He was particularly moved by the organization’s use of personal storytelling, such as the case of Megan’s son Ben’s story. He praised the strength and clarity of KnowTheGlow’s visual messaging and the speed at which it has gained traction. “Advocacy takes time,” he remarked. “But what KTG has done is truly remarkable.”
Fabrizio emphasized the complexity and diversity of the Western Pacific region, which encompasses countries with vastly different healthcare infrastructures—from South Korea, China, and Japan to Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Cambodia. In some areas, eye care is already embedded within school health programs; in others those systems are still being developed. IAPB’s role varies accordingly—sometimes leading initiatives, sometimes supporting from behind the scenes. In every context, the organization works to elevate local leadership and strengthen country-specific strategies for vision care.
One country especially close to Fabrizio’s heart is Papua New Guinea. While working with the WHO, he encountered a case involving a young girl from the PNG highlands who was suffering from advanced retinoblastoma. The challenges her family faced in accessing care were significant and required extraordinary coordination and support. That experience underscored for Fabrizio the critical need for early detection, effective referral systems, and accessible treatment options.
Looking ahead, Fabrizio outlined IAPB’s forthcoming global advocacy campaign focused on early childhood intervention in eye health. While the core of the initiative centers on myopia, the broader aim is to identify and promote effective strategies that can be adapted across various eye conditions. A series of international roundtable discussions will be held—beginning in Kathmandu and concluding in Bangkok on July 30th. These sessions will bring together a diverse group of experts, including NGOs, physicians, optometrists, health economists, and advocacy leaders, to exchange insights and identify key elements for a future advocacy guide and policy toolkit. The finalized materials will be launched in Hong Kong in early 2026.
Fabrizio encouraged KnowTheGlow to contribute to this effort, noting that real-life case studies like those featured in KTG’s awareness campaigns would be invaluable. He highlighted the organization’s storytelling as a powerful advocacy tool and stressed the importance of continuing to share these narratives in broader policy and education efforts.
In the course of the conversation, Fabrizio also identified several regions where future collaboration could be especially impactful. These include Shanghai, where there is strong infrastructure supporting the full continuum of refractive error care; Vietnam and Cambodia, where pediatric myopia programs are expanding; South Korea, which has a mature and structured eye health system; and Australia, particularly within Indigenous communities, where rare childhood conditions often remain undiagnosed and untreated.
Throughout the discussion, Fabrizio’s commitment to equity and sustainability in vision care was evident. His belief in the power of collaborative advocacy, grassroots storytelling, and local adaptation echoes the foundational principles of KnowTheGlow. While the conversation with Megan Webber and Helene Dameris was only an initial step, it opened the door to promising alignment and future exploration of ways KnowTheGlow might support IAPB’s mission throughout the dynamic and diverse Western Pacific region.
