trends on prevention of blindness

Trends on Prevention of Blindness


Egyptian Medical Students' Association

جمعية أصدقاء مرضي العيون

1

The Egyptian Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) is a legally recognized NGO, registered at the

Egyptian Ministry of Social Affairs.

The Egyptian Medical Students’ Association, EMSA for short, is a legally recognized Non-

Governmental Organization (NGO ( registered at the Egyptian Ministry of Social Affairs under license

number 7866 - Cairo.

EMSA is a member of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA), which is

an NGO representing medical students around the world.

Our mission is to provide the suitable atmosphere for Egyptian healthcare Students to create those

activities and involvements that would prepare future physicians and healthcare workers with

enough skills, competences and broad mind to reshape the future of this country.




2

:رؤية الجمعية

العيون المختلفة و دعم المرضى و توعيتهم أمراضالمساهمة في رفع وعي المجتمع اتجاه

بكيفية التعامل مع مرضهم .

:الجمعية أهداف

. تجنبها كيفية و العيون بأمراض التوعية (1

المجاني. القسم مرضى دعم (2

أسيوط. بقرى العيون ألمراض الطبي المسح (3

.الطبية القوافل دعم (4

العيون. جراحة و طب مركز إنشاء فكرة إحياء (5

.القرنية بنك إنشاء فكرة إحياء (6




3

Blindness is a major health problem that has received relatively little attention to in worldwide efforts

to promote health. The vast majority of the world's blind live in developing countries, where

infections, malnutrition, and lack of eye care give rise to a high proportion of blindness, particularly in

rural populations.

Thus, the blindness rates in these countries are 10-40 times greater than industrialized countries where

blindness is mainly due to degenerative and metabolic diseases related to aging.

A major portion of blindness in developing countries can be cured or even prevented by

enchantment skills and methods of control of eye infectious diseases.

For example, endemic trachoma and associated infections affect 150 million people in the poorer

rural communities and can be controlled through hygienic measures such as hand and face

washing, proper usage of eye antibiotic ointments and corrective lid surgeries.

The general lack of eye health services in underserved communities in developing countries is

responsible for much blindness. Early treatment with proper diagnosis can help in prevention of

infectious and nutritional eye disorders that can cause blindness.

The principle strategies of primary eye care can be provided by trained health workers and

volunteers who show interest in social work and the field of preventive medicine. As through

effective healthy national programs the rate of blindness in developing countries can be reduced to

less than 0.5 %.

To achieve this, well planned activities and awareness campaigns should be done on both local

and national levels to eliminate avoidable visual loss and to help in providing health education to a

major sector in the community.




4

The delivery of essential eye health services at the peripheral parts of the community should be an

integral component of primary health care, and should include the promotion of eye health as well

as the prevention and treatment of blinding conditions.

It's highly important to increase public awareness of blindness and its prevention in order to establish

consensus on the need for a prevention program on both national and local levels. This can be

generated by the support of influenced individuals in the field of social and volunteer work. Also,

cooperation between scientific associations can provide new ideas and mechanisms to help in

blindness prevention.

Programs should organize and coordinate activities at all levels to achieve the following:

1) Raise the awareness among the public about preventable infectious eye disorders.

2) Identify areas with high prevalence of avoidable blindness and determine causes of such

blindness.

3) Formulation of objectives and development of intervention strategies.

4) Training of personnel to take effective roles at all levels of the programs. These trainings should

include:

o Primary health care workers.

o General physicians.

o Ophthalmologists.

o Medical students.

5) Development and provision of support for primary eye care.

6) Promotion and organization of individual and community participation in blindness

prevention activities through health education.

7) Maintenance and monitoring of activities at all levels to ensure that they fit the needs of the

program.

8) Organization of special interventions to reduce excessive blindness caused by specific

problems.

9) Development of a comprehensive management information system.

10) Evaluation of the impact of the program through:

o Measurement of time, cost and performance of program activities.

o Measurement of the effect on blindness rates and the prevalence of specific disorders.

o Assessment of other useful indicators, such as the development of eye health services,

community participation and changes in social and economic factors related to visual

disability and its prevention.

Through proper application of these strategies and plans, we can carry out eye care in our country

and make the best use of health services to guard against elevated rate of blindness. The

identification of both governmental and non-governmental resources is also an important initial step

in assessment of current needs and availability of resources.




5

Once a plan for the prevention of eye infectious diseases has been formulated, steps should be

done to ensure its rapid implementation. On the early phase of the plan, we have to rely on the

available resources which make it essential to use them optimally.

Just take into consideration that training of health personnel in eye care should begin in the initial

phase of a blindness prevention program, even where the availability of equipment is limited.

Valuable experience can be gained in trial courses for a few numbers of medical students, which

will considerably facilitate the awareness and delivery of the program message to a greater scale of

the community.

Also, the participation of the community should be ensured from the initial stages by encouraging

people's acceptance of awareness message. The potential risks of certain indigenous health

practices and taboos may need to be highlighted and gradually overcome by sustained health

practices.




6

Trends on Prevention of Blindness Project title

Statement of a policy that helps in prevention of infectious eye diseases. Raise the awareness among great part of the community about eye

disorders. Implementation of a primary eye care approach. Utilization of mobile units as an outreach service. Training and continuing education of medical students and personnel.

Aims

Egyptian Medical Students' Association (EMSA) - NGO جمعية أصدقاء مرضي العيون

Applicants

Awareness Campaigns. Conferences. Trainings on Communication skills and Primary eye care. Final Evaluation.

Steps

January, 1st 2012 – January, 1st 2013 Timeline

Mahmoud Saad Egyptian Medical Students' Association - EMSA 5th Year Medical Student – School of Medicine, Assiut University Mobile: +2 0111 317 2553 +2 0100 416 5260 Email: [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mariam Taher رئيس جمعية أصدقاء مرضي العيون5th Year Medical Student – School of Medicine, Assiut University

Mobile: +2 0106 455 4080 Email: [email protected]

Contact info

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




7

In a way to raise students' awareness about eye diseases, we are going to held a campaign about

infectious eye diseases, students' general knowledge about those infections and methods of

prevention and control of such diseases.

1) Raising and strengthening awareness about infectious eye diseases.

2) Identify students' knowledge about eye diseases.

3) Promote actions to reduce the main etiological factors of eye diseases.

4) Promote a more responsible attitude regarding eye diseases.

5) Invite students to attend a conference held by Ophthalmology Department staff members.

6) Increase the demand of hygiene in general.

- Trachoma is a chronic inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by Chlamydia Trachomatis,

leading to eye redness, granulation of the inner side of the eye lid and corneal opacity in severe

cases.

- Mild cases may undergo spontaneous resolution, while severe forms may lead to blinding

damage to the cornea. Recurrent episodes of infection produce conjunctival scarring which

can cause trichiasis or entropion. The abrasion of the cornea by wiry lashes and defects of lid

closure result in corneal ulceration, followed by scarring and visual loss.




8




9

- Principles of prevention and treatment include:

Antibiotic Therapy.

Lid surgeries to treat the advanced cases of the disease.

Facial cleanliness to reduce disease transmission.

Environmental change to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation.

- Ocular trauma is the cause of blindness in more than half a million people worldwide and of

partial loss of sight in many more. Blindness may occur due to the initial injury or secondary

infections and sympathetic ophthalmia.

- Injury and infection are often exacerbated by a delay in proper management and

inappropriate home medication. The eye condition invariably worsens and complications

appear when time is lost through applying home medication instead of initiating proper medical

management.

- Trauma as a cause of blindness is frequent in industries and workplaces where workers are

exposing to chemical, physical, toxic or thermal agents. Poor midwifery can be a leading cause

of serious traumas to the eye. Children can damage their eyes when playing with sticks, fireworks,

darts and arrows.

- Principles of prevention and treatment include:

Occupational safety.

Visual standards and job placement.

Health education to parents.

Rapid proper medical management according to the causative cause.

1) Banners.

2) Flyers.

3) Questionnaires.

4) Online awareness campaign.

1) Raising awareness and identify knowledge of minimally 100 students.

2) Recruit number of students to help in delivering our message to the public.

3) Promote students to prepare presentations or researches to present it at the conference.




10

Members of the two applicant associations will invite ophthalmologists, other charities and

organizations who keen on prevention of eye diseases to attend a conference where students

gather to discuss the major eye problems, preventable eye disorders and how to pay attention of

health care providers to infectious eye diseases as a major health problem.

We kindly ask professors and staff members of Ophthalmology Department, School of Medicine-

Assiut University, who influenced by our project to, briefly, illustrate and explain more about:

Trachoma

Ocular trauma

Diabetic retinopathy

Cataract

Glaucoma

Keratoplasty

Students can share with their presentations and researches about the mentioned topics. Also, we

can make an open discussion between doctors and students to induce brain storming and active

participation of the attendance.




11

Primary health care workers should be responsible for the delivery of primary eye care, and this

should be an integral component of their duties. For efficiency, it is preferable to have workers who

are selected by, or at least acceptable, to the community.

The training of a primary health care worker in the field of eye care will require teaching materials

such as manuals, recognition cards and posters. Such materials should be simple, durable, and

obtainable at a low cost.

The following subjects should be included:

1- Methods of examination:

- Taking and assessing patient's history.

- Assessment and recording of visual acuity.

- Inspection of the eye and lids.

- Exposure of the conjunctiva of the lower lid.

- Eversion of the conjunctiva of the upper lid.

- Inspection of the globe in different directions.

2- Clinical conditions:

With regard to clinical activities, a distinction should be made between conditions that thought

to be:

a) Conditions to be recognized and treated by the primary health care worker:

- Conjunctivitis and lid infections.

- Trauma.

- Vitamin A deficiency.

b) Conditions to be recognized and referred after treatment has been initiated:

- Corneal ulcers.

- Lacerations or perforations of the eyeball.

- Lid lacerations.

- Entropion and trichiasis.

- Burns.

c) Conditions to be recognized and referred for treatment directly:

- Painful red eye with visual loss.

- Cataract.

- Ptreygium.

- Visual loss.

3- Methods of treatment:

- Cleaning and irrigating the eye.

- Applying eye drops and ointment.

- Application of eye pads, strapping and bandaging.




12

4- Communication skills:

- Identify Patient-Doctor communication problems and how to solve it.

- Identify the most common errors in medical practice and how to overcome them.

- Motivate patient's adherence to treatment plan.

- Improve doctor-patient relationship in the following aspects:

o Interpersonal skills.

o Information gathering skills.

o Information giving skills.




13

The primary health care workers should be supervised through regular visits of secondary level

personnel, e.g. an ophthalmologist, ophthalmic medical assistant or general physician.

Evaluation of the training and the performance of the primary health care workers should be

carried out by the supervisor to detect how much could the trainer deliver the training's core

content to the workers. It's a very important step in identifying the effectiveness of the training

and its future impact on preventing blindness.

Refresher courses should be provided periodically by the supervisor at the community, students,

and health care workers levels.




14

- WHO/PBL eye examination records, Geneva, World Health Organization.

- Formulation and management of national programs for prevention of blindness, Geneva,

World Health Organization.

- Guide to trachoma control in programs for the prevention of blindness, Dawson CR, Jones BR.

Geneva, World Health Organization.

trends on prevention of blindness

Documents

prevention of blindness

rate of blindness

blindness rates

egyptian healthcare

promotion of eye health

major portion of blindness

public awareness of

high proportion of blindness