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WORD SIGHT DAY 2008
REPORT FOR LATIN AMERICA
ARGENTINA
In Cordoba, the event we held to commemorate World Sight Day on October 9th held
together with the Campanas foundation of Mina Clavero, and was called “Iluminando la
Vida” (Brightening Life) since this institution works with older low-income persons who
live in the mountains. We gave exams to 73 people, performing blood glucose and
fundoscopy while also checking the intraocular pressure and looking to see if they had
operable cataract.
World Sight Day 2008
Hugo Nano Ophthalmology Foundation
The See to Learn Program
In the midst of the celebration of World Sight Day, the Hugo Nano Foundation launched
the See to Learn Program in schools No. 2 and No. 15 of the city of Olivos, in Buenos
Aires Province. The launching was attended by the chief inspector of the zone, Ms.
Ana Maria Ferreiro and Mr. Enrique Leporati of the Olivos Rotary Club as well as Dr.
Hugo Nano, the directors of both schools, and the teachers who had been designated
as multiplying agents.
Chief Inspector Ferreiro, Mr. Leporati, and Dr. Nano all spoke at the opening of the
program to members of the local press. Dr. Nano later responded to questions and
explained the various steps involved in carrying out the program.
A similar event was held at the parochial school Nuestra Señora Del Carmen de
Olivos, which has some 220 students.
As part of the same program examination was also done of some 160 students from
School No. 29 and 52 students from School No. 25 in the Pilar District. Both schools
had been covered two years earlier, but new exams were needed to cover changes in
the student body.
XIV Florencia Mansilla Sport Tournament
The XIV Florencia Mansilla tournament was held at the facilities of the Sargento Cabral
NCO School. Some 150 blind and visually impaired persons of all ages from the
schools and institutions of various provinces participated. A rock band made up of
students from the Nano Foundation and the military band from the NCO school also
gave performances. This free-admission tournament is now a tradition, and is moment
of fellowship for hundreds of blind persons of all ages and from any number of places,
in which sports, music, and a day in the open air mean a day of fun and friendship for
all.
Goalball Exhibition
An exhibition of Goalball was organized at the Cenard facilities with help from the
Standard Chartered Bank in which players from the Argentine national team, coached
by Professor Claudio Falco, who leads the reigning world champion Argentine national
team, participated.
Members of the crowd were invited to play a game when the exhibition match was
concluded. The purpose of the exercise was to spread the word about this fun new
sport designed for the visually impaired.
Movie Premier
The Hugo D. Nano Ophthalmology Foundation and the International Agency for the
Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), teaming up with 20th Century Fox of Argentina
presented the screen debut of the feature film Blindness, directed by Fernando
Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener), based on Nobel Prize winner Jose
Saramago's novel of the same name.
The Vision Solidaria Foundation
The 4th Vision Marathon. The Vision Marathon is held to increase popular awareness
of the importance of visual health by holding first a symbolic walk in which half of
participants must be guided by the other half while wearing blindfolds for a distance of
some meters. The exercise teaches the blindfolded participants something of what it is
like to be blind, and gives their guides experience in assisting those who are severely
visually impaired. After the walk, the Vision Marathon itself is held in conjunction with
the Marathon of the Impenetrable (a region of Argentina) which is organized by the
Secretariat of Sports of the local government, and for
which this year some 700 athletes of all ages signed up. These events would be
impossible without the kind support of a number of government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
The El Espinillo rural eye health campaign was held in the Impenetrable region of the
Chaco Province on October 23-25, while the annual Intraocular Pressure Campaign
was held on 31 October.
Dear Friends of V2020:
Our report on World Sight Month is as follows:
· 09/10/08 – Surgical Campaign (7 patients operated on for cataract)
· 11/10/08 – Vision Marathon. Some 800 people participated. Before the marathon, a
symbolic walk was held in which half the participants were blindfolded while the other
half had to help them. Among the dignitaries participating were: Mr. Marciano Cejas
(acting Mayor); Mrs. Marcia Dominguez (City Manager), Mrs. Quiroga (Secretary of
Culture).
· 13/10/08 – Editorial in the newspaper, Diario Norte,
http://www.diarionorte.com/noticia.php?numero=25005
· 23-24-25/10/08 – Rural campaign in the “El Espinillo” location in the impenetrable"
region of the Chaco.
· 30/10/08 – Intraocular Pressure Campaign
Sincerely,
Dr. Kleisinger
BOLIVIA
THE AGUIRRE PEREZ OPHTHALMOLOGY FOUNDATION
THURSDAY OCTOBER 9, 2008
WORLD SIGHT DAY.
We performed an educational session on glaucoma using a radio program called
"Medical Agenda" that covers the department.
Ophthalmoscopies of the optic nerve, checks of intraocular pressure for those over 40
years of age, and for those suspected of glaucoma, automated perimetry of the visual
field, were performed without charge.
With the help of the medical products manufacturer Laboratorios Saval, the first dose of
the medication for treatment of glaucoma was given free of charge.
Free Refraction and Donation of Eyeglasses for the Elderly
Five patients with senile cataract were operated on without charge.
A program for detection of refractive error in students enrolled in public schools thanks
to an agreement with the district's educational administration.
Van:
I am pleased to be able to offer the following report on the activities carried out in
Sucre:
OCTOBER 9TH
On 9 October the following activities were carried out:
7:00 to 9:00 AM
1.
Interviews with society members on the ATB, UNITEL, AND UNIVERSITARIO
television channels.
2.
Interviews with radio stations.
10:00 to 12:00
Ceremony launching the departmental eye health program, as detailed below
School: Nicolas Ortiz (Dalence 61)
1) National Anthem
2) Remarks by Dr. Alberto Arando Berríos, Director of the Departmental
Health Service (SEDES)
3) Remarks by Dr. Delia Zárate, President of the Sucre branch of the
Bolivian Society of Ophthalmology
4) Remarks by the Acting Prefect
5) Remarks by the Vice-Rector of the university, Dr. Ivan Arcienega
Collazos, and official launch of the program.
6) Symbolic initiation of the program (examination of children from the
school)
7) Official Reception
8) Closing Ceremony
THE EYE HEALTH PROJECT
SEDES -- Chuquisaca, the agency primarily responsible for healthcare in the
Department of Chuquisaca has launched a plan that includes five projects as
part of its healthcare policies. These include:
1.
Humanitarian and cross-cultural care for mothers and newborns in
vulnerable municipalities in the Department of Chuquisaca
2.
Promotional preventative oral and visual healthcare in children and
adolescents of the Department of Chuquisaca.
3.
Detection and early treatment of cervical cancer in the Department
of Chuquisaca
4.
Plan for integrated treatment of patients with Chagas Disease in the
Municipality of Alcala.
5.
Broadening of the communications platform for the healthcare
information system for the network management of the Department of
Chuquisaca.
In addition, the Royal and Pontifical Major University of Saint Francis Xavier of
Chuquisaca (UMRPSFXCH) called for outreach or interactive research projects within
the academic dominion of the Vice-Rectorate of the university. As instructor in the
subject of ophthalmology, I presented the project entitled "Detection of Refractive Error
in Public School Children of the City of Sucre", which was peer reviewed and approved
for inclusion as one of the projects to be funded by the Direct Tax on Hydrocarbons
(IDH).
The project is in line with the SEDES program, and was therefore included in it, for
which purpose inter-institutional agreements were made between the following
institutions:
·
·
·
·
·
UMRPSFXCH
PREFECTURE OF CHUQUISACA
SEDES of Chuquisaca
The Departmental Education Service (SEDUCA)
BOLIVIAN SOCIETY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY, SUCRE BRANCH
Still to be negotiated:
·
·
·
·
LIONS CLUBS
ROTARY CLUBS
APRECIA social welfare ophthalmology center
THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION
As this was a joint project between the university and society, the project was begun
with training of medical students from the university in the course entitled:
LECTURE AND PRACTICAL TRAINING COURSE ON DIAGNOSIS OF EYE
DISEASE CAUSING
LOW VISION OR BLINDNESS
Content:
Friday 10 October (19:00 to 20:30)
1) Blindness. Definition of WHO
2) Institutions charged with the prevention of blindness
3) Statistical data on blindness worldwide, in Latin America, and in
Bolivia
4) Primary diseases causing blindness Refractive error, cataract,
glaucoma, childhood blindness, diabetic retinopathy.
Saturday 11 October (10:00 to 12:00)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Visual acuity: Definition of normal and pathological visual acuity
Techniques for measuring visual acuity: Eye by eye or binocular visual acuity
Physical exam with a clinical lamp and ophthalmoscopy of the child.
Survey form: Filling it out.
Breaking into groups to standardize the exams and correct errors in technique.
PROJECT START UP
·
Screening was begun on 15 October with examination of children from 45 public
schools in the city and surrounding areas. To date (21 October) examinations have
been done for 18 schools.
·
Measurement for lenses was begun in private doctors offices (until the already
authorized purchase of a portable refractometer and trial case can be carried out):
Freddy Guerra: Saturday. Hours: Saturday, 8:00 to 12:00
Manuel Camargo: Saturday. Hours: 14:30 to 17:30
Delia Zarate: Sunday. Hours: 9:30 to 12:30.
·
This week entry of data into the EPI INFO program begins
·
Patients with prescriptions for eyeglasses will be assessed according to social
class and the opticians will begin their work starting in the second week.
BRAZIL
Van, attached is an email about what some of the Brazilians did with their pictures.
Most of the activities focused on diabetes and blindness. Here's a little blurb as well on
the Mexican Lions.
The Lions of the City of Celaya in Mexico’s Guanajuato State held an international
symposium on obesity in children. Sponsored by the Secretariat of Health, the
symposium included talks on diseases related to obesity, including diabetes, along with
a presentation on diabetes and blindness. More than 500 physicians, nurses,
nutritionists, medical students and educators attended. The Lions continue working to
increase the awareness of blindness caused by diabetes.
Thanks!
Kristen
SOBRAL LIONS ON WORLD SIGHT AND WORLD LIONS SERVICE DAYS
October 8th is commemorated around the world as World Lions Service Day, and the
next day, October 9th, is Lions World Sight Day. To mark those dates the João
Monlevade Sobral Lions Club held its 2d Health Fair of the current Lions year at the
Real Sport Club, offering glucose and blood pressure testing from 5 PM to 8:30 PM.
The Lions assisted over 120 members of all ages and urged those whose readings
were significantly out of normal range to see their doctor. The Sobral Lions Club carries
out blood glucose testing to warn people at risk because high blood glucose can lead
to diabetes and diabetes that is not correctly treated can lead to blindness. How the
campaign went can be seen from the photographs
Members performing blood glucose testing.
Our president, Lion Fernando Barcelos with other members of the Club
Testing went on from 5 PM to 8:30 PM.
Lion Fernando Barcelos, current Club president, taking the blood pressure of an
associate.
Dear Doctor,
During the period of 6 to 11 October, when World Sight Day is celebrated, the Brazilian
Ophthalmology Council (CBO) will offer its facilities for the National Cornea Donation
Campaign using the slogan “You can’t take them with you. But you can leave them to
someone else. Donate your corneas, and offer a new horizon to someone who cannot
see it now”, which is designed to stimulate donations and reduce any doubts about
donating corneas.
The site (www.cbo.com.br) has been created with information on the cornea and a list
of all the eye banks in the whole country, as well as an explanation of how to make the
donation. Aside from that, some 100,000 folders will be distributed all over Brazil to
encourage cornea donation. The folders are being prepared and will be sent out by the
Ministry of Health to all eye banks
Our site also contains videos, and we would like to ask your help to see them
distributed. If an agreement is made with any television channels, please let us know
so that we can provide a more appropriate video.
Confident that we can count on help from all of you for yet one more socially useful
activity, we are pleased to offer you our sincere thanks.
Yours sincerely,
Hamilton Moreira, MD
President
Brazilian Ophthalmology Council
CHILE
Van
In Concepcion several activities were carried out in relation to World Sight Day.
1.- A press conference was held at the regional clinical hospital in Concepcion, which
was attended by television reporters and officials. In the photograph are Dr. Alejandra
Varas, head of the ophthalmology department of the regional hospital, myself, Dr.
Marta Werner, Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Health for Region VIII, Dr. Raul
Gonzalez, Dean of Medicine for the University of Concepcion, and Dr. Hugolino
Catalan, representing COALVI, the corporation for assistance to the visually impaired.
The statements of three patients who were operated on for cataract, and who were
blind before the operations, are included: One of them was 91 years of age, another,
age 51, was a radio broadcaster. There were also two persons with low vision. It
appears in the El Sur newspaper, which is the paper with the highest circulation in the
region.
http://www.elsur.cl/diarioelsur/pagina.php?pagina=06&fecha=20081010 is the page on
which the article appears, although it is inaccurate about cataract surgery at the end.
http://www.elsur.cl/base_elsur/site/edic/2008_10_10_1/port/portada.html is the front
page of the El Sur newspaper for Friday 10 October.
2.- - Participation in a panel on a local television channel morning program to promote
World Sight Day and the topic of blindness in older adults. It was quite entertaining and
they did not pretend to know much about the topic, but allowed people to call in with
their own questions.
3.- On the same day, the medical technologists program in ophthalmology for the
University of Concepcion also mounted a vision testing campaign for anyone who
wanted their eyes checked. The campaign was well attended, since it was held at the
entrance to the medical school of the university, and attracted both students and
passers by.
Sincerely,
Fernando Barria
COLOMBIA
Dear Colleagues
Please find a video segment of the Press conference given at the Minister of Health
Office in Colombia as part of the celebration of the World Sight Day. The Vice Minister
of health that you see in the video is launching the national cataract program to the
media (TV, Radio and print).The video was broadcasted at Caracol Television that is
the biggest and most important TV channel in Colombia. The press conference came in
all TV channels, radio stations and newspapers.
Regards,
Juan
Hi Van,
I wanted to tell you that the forum went very well. We transmitted it over the RENATA
network to various universities in Latin America.
I presented three topics on prevention of blindness: The Blindness Situation in Latin
America, Childhood Blindness in Latin America, and The Blindness Prevention
Program in Buenaventura.
On World Sight Dat we held a meeting with the Health Secretary of the Valle Del
Cauca department, Dr. Hector Fabio Useche, and the Secretary of Health for Cali, Dr.
Alejandro Verela. A formal commitment was also signed to form a regional committee
for the prevention of blindness. The most important media from the region were also
there (television, radio, and print press).
I published the pictures in Facebook at the following URLs:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30108358&id=1387321881&ref=mf#/photo.p
hp?pid=30108358&id=1387321881&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30108358&id=1387321881&ref=mf#/photo.p
hp?pid=30108359&id=1387321881&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30108358&id=1387321881&ref=mf#/photo.p
hp?pid=30108360&id=1387321881&ref=mf
I had some problems with the PC on which I have the images, but this afternoon I will
see which ones I can recover and forward them to you.
Regards,
Antonio
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
A National RAAB study was commenced with the supervision of Dr. Hans Limburg, Dr.
Juan Carlos Silva and the local leadership of Dr. Juan Batlle and Dr. Evelyn Diaz
Centro Cristiano de servicios Médicos, Inc. Dr. Elías Santana
(Dr. Elias Santana Christian medical services center, Inc.)
Prevention of Blindness Department
Report on Activities Commemorating World Sight Day
Several awareness-raising talks for patients and family members were held at the Dr.
Elias Santana Hospital in the Dominican Republic on Thursday 9 October to
commemorate World Sight Day.
The interactive talks were given by Dr. Evelyn Diaz, who highlighted the importance of
the date, and provided information on the worldwide situation in
regard to blindness and its causes, while also emphasizing the
importance of community participation in assuring the success of
programs to address it.
The accounts given of what it was like to experience the miracle of
being able to see again by those attending who had suffered from
visual disabilities or blindness and had regained their sight were
extremely moving. The fact that thanks to programs like Vision
2020 there are some 20 million fewer persons who are blind or visually disabled today
than was projected was also stressed as a reason why the continued support of each
one of us is vital.
The interactive part of the talks consisted of audience questions about common myths
and culturally-based beliefs about eye disease. This part of the talks was very useful
for both the attendees and hospital caregivers. It quickly became
apparent that a great deal of misinformation existed even among
patients of our eye-care centers.
Patients of our hospital were described as "the lucky ones" because
they are receiving care, and were urged to carry the message of
hope to other members of their community who may need it, of the
fact that cures may exist for their problems. We emphasized
repeatedly the importance of preventative eye care and the right of each person to
receive equitable eye care of good quality regardless of their socio-economic situation.
Educational materials about World Sight Day were
distributed at the conclusion of the talks. The participants
expressed their gratitude for what they had learned, and
brought up the importance of continuing to receive such
information, for which reason it was decided to make such
talks into regular events at our center.
Our challenge is to offer the highest quality eyecare to the poor people of the Dominican
Republic. We believe firmly that we should press on in our commitment to eliminate
avoidable blindness in our countries and make every day of the year a world sight day.
Evelyn Diaz, MD
Prevention of Blindness
HONDURAS
Several people underwent screening in Santa Rosa de Copan and were referred for
surgery.
MEXICO
CELEBRATION OF WORLD SIGHT DAY
Subcommittee on Diabetic Retinopathy
As part of the XVIII Course for Diabetes Educators held on the grounds of La Salle
University in Mexico City, we decided to hold a commemorative event to celebrate
World Sight Day that would focus on the real worry in Mexico about how to confront the
challenge of prevention or early treatment of the primary complication of diabetes
mellitus (DM), diabetic retinopathy.
Two hours were set aside during the course, attended by more than 300 participants
and members of the media, during which an overview was presented concerning the
array of ocular complications whose incidence practically doubles in persons with DM,
the number of cataracts and glaucoma, especially chronic open angle, as well as a
greater number of events related to dry eye, infectious pathologies and delayed wound
healing, especially in patients with poorly controlled metabolic levels.
Presentations about the complications were made by the president-elect of the
Mexican Society of Ophthalmology for 2009, Dr. Manuel Saenz de Viteri Sisso, a
distinguished retina specialist, and Dr. Eduardo Muhl Garza, president-elect of the
Mexican Retina Association (AMR) as well as yours truly, Francisco Martinez Castro,
MD, coordinator of the relevant subcommittee for the VISION 2020 Program for Latin
America.
The second hour was used to discuss the work the Mexican Society of Ophthalmology
has been doing in conjunction with the Mexican Retina Association each year since
1999 to promote the importance of preventative action in patients with diabetes mellitus
in various venues by encouraging educational programs that include patient family
members.
Finally, the president elect of the Mexican Retina Association for 2009, Dr. Muhl, stated
his eager readiness to carry out the following initiatives.
1. Holding of a monthly session in the auditorium of the Mexican Society of
Ophthalmology on the first Monday of each month from 8:30 PM to 10 PM as
part of a certificate course on integrated management of DM designed to
promote integrated and multidisciplinary care for the DM patient instead of
concentrating only on the isolated element of the disease's ocular
complications.
2. Coordination of a RAAB project for Mexico City if international support and the
guidance of the Central Office of VISION 2020 LA can be obtained.
3. Offering of the human resources infrastructure needed to mount a library run by
members of the Mexican Retina Association containing digital records of the
fundoscopy exams of DM patients.
4. Continued celebration of World Sight Day every year in a high-visibility joint act
supported by the university community in an academic forum such as the
traditional multidisciplinary course for diabetes educators with the full
participation of the Mexican Society of Ophthalmology and the Mexican Retina
Association.
5. Review and agreement on clinical guides for management of diabetic
retinopathy following the model used in Chile.
This is a step forward in the willingness to take action, and we only need to secure
financing for mobile units to do exams that create digital records of the fundus of
patients in poor communities to make the early detection and management of ocular
complications caused by DM with excellence and equity a reality.
Francisco Martinez Castro, MD
Chairman, Subcommittee on Diabetic Retinopathy
PARAGUAY
Fundacion Vision performed 263 cataract surgeries during the week, free of charge for
very poor patients who were sponsored by various industrial houses and private donors
PERU
I hope this finds you well. I am an ophthalmologist and department head at the Ministry
of Health’s I-4 medical center in Lima Peru (the Daniel Alcides Carrion Mother and
Child Center or “CMI”). For World Sight Day we scheduled a free cataract detection
program that followed a low vision screening in the community done by our health
promoters. Three of us ophthalmologists from the Villa Maria del Triunfo district
(349,000 inhabitants) participated, and with the help of cooperating friendly
organizations our patients will be operated on in one eye without charge by the national
plan for fighting blindness. We will help them to operate on the second eye. We are
downloading the promotional posters you sent. Thanks for the valuable publications
you sent me.
Sincerely,
Miguel Mavila Salon
Report on World Sight Day in Peru
This year the celebration was blemished by a general strike by the physicians from the
Ministry of Health whose demands included better pay, improved working conditions,
and 15 other points. The reply of the minister of health was confrontational, evolving
into a sort of general rejection of the medical union, which brought on a call for the
minister to resign; an event that actually took place after audiotapes were released that
implicated him in backroom deals for the construction of hospitals. The new Minister of
Health is Dr. Oscar Ugarte Ubilluz, a distinguished specialist in public health who has
been working with USAID on projects to decentralize healthcare.
In spite of the distractions, a smart banner was hung across the face of the Ministry of
Health building in a ceremony attended by a representative of the previous minister.
The primary goal was to highlight the problem of cataract in older adults and
uncorrected refractive error in children.
A one-day screening campaign was also held in the city of Pisco that was successful in
assessing more than 2,000 people from that area.
A press release that appeared on the web page of the Ministry of Health and was
reported in the most important newspapers of the country is attached.
ACTIVITIES FOR THE WORLD DAY SIGHT
“THE RIGHT TO SIGHT”
INSTITUTO DAMOS VISION LIMA - PERU
Blindness in our country is due to many causes and most of them are preventable, as
in the case of retinopathy of prematurity, where most cases of blindness from this
cause were not detected on time. We are making a big effort by conducting the
screening at the NICUs (neonatal intensive care units); this year we celebrated
WORLD SIGHT DAY in two them.
WORLD DAY OF THE VISION
October 9th and 10th, 2008
OCTOBER 9TH
Visits were made to two Neonatal Intense Care Units, 1) Hospital Santa Rosa that is in
Lima, we saw 3 babies and 5 mothers were counseled, they received the lecture
developed by the IDV Nurse Pilar Villanueva, we gave them a Coffee break and
balloons.
13 hour visits to the Alberto Sabogal Hospital where they were a total of 11 premature
babies with the aim of conducting a screening spot in the incidence of premature
babies that may have at some stage ROP, and same, detect the disease early.
In the afternoon, we prepared a special talk for the parents that were present; also, they
had a small coffee break and balloons.
Neonatal Intensive Care
# of Babies
# of parents
Unit
Screened
counseled
H. Santa Rosa
3
5
H. Sabogal
5
11
IDV
4
8
TOTAL :
12
24
We conducted educational sessions for parents present during our visit, with a total
attendance of 24 participants; this was a special moment for the feedback information,
with all the parents sharing their opinion of the delivery of leaflets and comics on the
ROP pathology.
OCTOBER 10th
At Tahuantinsuyo
C.S TAHUANTINSUYO BAJO
PARTICIPANTS IN THE LEARNING SESSION
This is a very economically depressed area, where we conducted a 2 hour workshop,
covering information that with age increases the risk of cataract, glaucoma, diabetic
retinopathy and macular degeneration; the higher percentage of blind people are over
50 years, etc. A timely intervention can preserve their vision.
They were taught about the different causes of preventable blindness, given balloons,
and brochures. There were a total 38 participants; we also conducted a round of
questions for their doubts and concerns.
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS SUPPORT THE SEE TO READ CAMPAIGN IN ATE
District with the Highest Illiteracy Rate in Lima, 14,400
On Saturday the 11th, in the Ate District of Lima Province, the Colegio Tecnólogo
Médico del Perú (medical technology school of Peru, or CTMP) and the Programa
Nacional de Movilización por la Alfabetización (National Program of Mobilization for
Literacy, or PRONAMA), more than 500 illiterate persons participated and were given a
visual acuity exam by an optometric technician and were given glasses if needed. All of
this in the context of the "See to Read” campaign of the Ministry of Education.
In our country, the departments with the highest rates of illiteracy are Ayacucho and
Huancavelica; however, surprisingly, a significant number are also found in Lima,
especially in the districts of Ate, Villa Maria del Triunfo, Villa el Salvador and San Juan
Lurigancho, where a total of 80,000 are found, while smaller numbers are found in
other areas of the capital.
The See to Read campaign is aimed at people over 40 years of age who in addition to
illiteracy, also suffer from vision problems. The dean of the CTMP, Ms. Maria Bazan
Naupay, lauded the participation of the medical technologists and the students of
Federico Villareal National University, which is the only one training optometric
technicians, a profession with excellent growth potential because it is an eyecare
profession directed at primary care, while these campaigns offer a wonderful
opportunity to do socially useful work that helps to reduce illiteracy in our country.
The idea behind “See to Read” is to give illiterate persons the basic tool they need to
learn to read, and is based selection made by district supervisors of PRONAMA, whose
optometrists determine the visual acuity of patients using special eye charts and
identify figures of different sizes that are easy to recognize for illiterate persons. In
some cases more exhaustive testing has been required for detection of cataract,
pterygium, or other diseases that must be referred to specialists.
Dean Bazan also called on the populace to not allow themselves to be gulled by
uncredentialed optometrists or optical outlets that risk the health of their customers by
using insufficiently trained technicians from institutions that turn out students in a mere
six months or a year instead of hiring professional medical technicians, and which
therefore cannot guarantee optimum service.
An agreement will soon be signed between PRONAMA, the Ministry of Education, and
the CTMP to increase the eyecare available for districts of the capital and eventually
around the country.
Thank you for helping us publicize these acheivements,
Office of Institutional Image
Colegio Tecnólogo Médico del Perú
World Sight Day 2008
Program
The Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (IRO), of Trujillo, Peru, celebrated World Sight
Day on October 9 by carrying out a series of community activities to highlight the
importance of medical eye care in the vulnerable population.
Campaigns and visits to educational centers were planned to begin on October 1st,
while press releases were sent to the principal newspapers covering the relevant
areas.
Nursing staff, residents, and attending ophthalmologists from the IRO, trained with the
assistance of ORBIS, participated in detection of cataract, refractive error, and diabetic
retinopathy.
1.- Detection of Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy
Location: IRO
Date: October 1
Coordinators: Dr. Alberto Manrique, Nurse Esther Mino.
Blood glucose and an ophthalmological exam complete with a dilated
fundoscopy were done on all 103 patients who participated in the retina
department.
17 patients belonged to the association of diabetics of La Libertad, of whom 12
(70%) presented normal fundus and 5 (29%) showed varying degrees of
diabetic retinopathy.
Of the remaining 86 patients referred to us as unaffected, 49 (56%) had blood
glucose levels within the normal range, while 26 (30%) had at-risk levels and 11
(12%) showed levels indicating probable diabetes.
The patients with diabetic retinopathy are being assessed in the retina
department, while the patients suspected of having diabetes are being
assessed by Dr. Laura Rios in the department of internal medicine at the
regional hospital in Trujillo.
It is important to mention the valuable support provided by the Amistad
(friendship) Lions Club of Trujillo in helping to spread word about the project
and for their help in providing medical personnel specialized in diabetes.
2.- Cataract Detection Campaign in the Cascas District
Location: Healthcare Center of Cascas
Date: October 6 - 7
Coordinators: Dr. Rosa Adrianzen, Nurse Erika Gomez, and Medical Resident
Gabriela Rojas
IRO personnel leave for the Andean district of Cascas, some 108 km from
Trujillo, and 3 hours by bus.
Fifty-eight pre-selected patients from rural areas were examined, and 10 (17%)
were found to have cataract. Six of these patients were operated on in the IRO
thanks to funding provided by the national cataract plan, while the remaining 4
are undergoing preoperative testing.
3.- Campaign for detection of refractive error in the school-age population
Location: José Faustino Sánchez Carrión Middle and High School
Date: October 9
Coordinators: Nurse Eva Villalobos and nursing technician Jeny Rivas
One-hundred and five students from the sixth grade were assessed, with 23
found to have varying degrees of ametropia. They are currently going to the
IRO in groups for refraction and to receive eyeglasses donated by the Lions
Club.
4.- Publication in local newspapers of press releases related to eye-care and World
Sight Day
Coordinators: Dr. Jaime Huamán, Ms. Araceli Sandoval
On October 9, a press release was published in the newspaper, “Satelite”,
highlighting the importance eyecare and the primary causes of blindness in the
region, as well as the actions being taken to reduce them.
On October 10 the newspaper La Industria published an interview with the
executive director of the IRO, Dr. Ricardo Caceda, entitled “They are Fighting
Blindness in Trujillo”.
5.- Implementation of the regional crusade “Creating Smiles: Health-Related Duties
and Rights of the Citizen”.
Location: Auditorium of the IRO
Date: October 10
Coordinators: Dr. Rosa Adrianzen, Ms. Araceli Sandoval, and Dr. Henry
Rebaza, Regional Health Director for La Libertad.
Fifty-five workers from the institution attended the startup of this pilot program,
which is oriented toward guaranteeing the quality of care and which emphasizes
factors such as solidarity, dignified treatment, and respect for the rights of and
duties of the users.
It also considers institutional policies designed to improve the working
environment to achieve the best possible performance.
6.- Free visual acuity and detection of refractive error campaign
Location: Outpatient visit areas of the IRO
Date: October 10
Coordinators: Dr. Ricardo Caceda, Nurse: Merly Gonzalez
Sixty-seven patients from peripheral areas of the locality attended and were
examined free of charge during the morning shift, of those 24 (35%) presented
with refractive error, 3 (4.4%) with suspected glaucoma, and 4 (5.9%) with
cataract.
Educational material was also given out during all activities.
Activity 1
Detection of Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy
Activity 2
Patients (2) from Cascas operated on for Cataract with
their family members
Activity 3
Detection of Refractive Error in school-age children
done with support from the Lions Club
Activity 4
Publication of press releases emphasizing the importance
of eye care in the most important newspapers of the area
Activity 6
Free eye care campaign at the IRO
Activity 5
Implementation of the regional crusade “Creating
Smiles: Rights and Duties of the Citizen” in the La
Libertad region.
URUGUAY
Dear Van,
I am writing to advise you that as of today the coordinator for the executive committee of
VISION 2020 Uruguay is Dr. Patricio Lopez Pererya, who you know from Santiago last year,
and who is an advisor in the eye health program of the Ministry of Public Health. It was a
proposal I had made to try to open up the field and attract young colleagues with more
enthusiasm and eagerness to get things done. I personally will continue to be connected with
the committee, but decided that he should be the official representative of the program.
Yesterday, on World Sight Day, “Eyes on the Future” a ceremony was held at the ministry,
during which a program for protection from the sun was launched. We worked with the optical
firms with whom we will be circulating leaflets, for which purpose we request permission to use
the 2020 logo. We were interviewed by the news programs from 4 private channels in
Montevideo and 3 Montevideo newspapers, while Dr. Lopez participated in the afternoon
program of El Espectador, the most important radio station in the country, which has a very
large audience and good quality programming and news coverage. I believe that in spite of the
little time and the limited theme, it went over well, because people are interested in protecting
themselves from the sun.
During the ceremony Dr. Lopez spoke in his capacity as coordinator of the V2020 Committee of
Uruguay, as did Dr. Estrellita Ugartemendia, and representing the optical firms, optometric
technician Mrs. Daniela Garese.
Attendance for the ceremony, as expected, was low, but reasonable considering that there was
a general strike on with its own rally set for the exact same time as while as a gathering of
healthcare workers in the doorway of the ministry at the moment the act was held inside.
The material created will continue being circulated by the optical firms, and we also intend to
reach out to educational institutions. On the 18th of this month, the medical association in
Maldonado will show its enthusiasm for World Sight Day with a one-day screening campaign for
glaucoma in the city of San Carlos, and possibly thereafter in the city of Maldonado. The person
in charge of this effort is Dr. Orietta Sugo, who was at the congress in Buenos Aires last August.
Attached you can find a photograph of the ceremony. The speaker shown is Dr. Ugartemendía.
Warm regards and I hope you enjoy the weekend,
Homero
Through the Alvarez Caldeyro Barcia Foundation, we have been coordinating a program for
prevention of retinopathy of prematurity in the Pereira Rossel Hospital, which is the Ministry of
Public Health’s largest maternity center and which handles 8,000 deliveries a year.
Currently we are expanding the program to the rest of the country. We hope that the public
health authorities soon make it a legal obligation for all premature infants to be checked by a
competent ophthalmologist before leaving the nursery.
Hoping to see you again soon, please accept my best wishes,
Walter Meerhoff, MD
GLAUCOMA INFORMATION AND DETECTION CAMPAIGN
WORLD SIGHT DAY, OCTOBER 2008
PRELIMINARY REPORT
•
The Departmental Medical Assistance Center of Maldonado.
•
•
San Carlos Clinic (Maldonado, Uruguay).
Coordinating Ophthalmologist for the Campaign: Dr. Orietta Sugo.
On Saturday 18 October, the Assistance Center’s First Campaign against
Blindness was held at the San Carlos Clinic (City of San Carlos, Maldonado
Department, Uruguay). The purpose of the campaign was detection of patients with
glaucoma and education of the population.
During the previous week various articles appeared in local newspapers, and
pamphlets and posters were distributed to healthcare institutions. Interviews were
granted to television and radio programs to explain the topic of glaucoma to the
populace, including information on the risk of adults developing the disease, and of it
not being detected in time due to the near absence of symptoms unless regular
checkups are made by an ophthalmologist.
The campaign was a success, with almost 200 patients seen without charge,
including both members of the institution and non-members. Checks were made of
visual acuity, the fundus, and of intraocular pressure, and automated visual field
screening was done when indicated.
Leaflets were distributed (thanks to help from ALCON Labs) with information on
glaucoma. The risk of developing glaucoma as revealed by their individual test results
was explained to each patient.
Patients found to have glaucoma or suspicion of glaucoma were urged to
consult their preferred ophthalmologist, and patients found to have no problems were
informed of the importance of an annual exam by the ophthalmologist.
People working on the campaign included:
*Physicians: Ophthalmologists: Doctors Mirta Acosta, Janet Garcia, and Orietta
Sugo.
*General Practitioner: Dr. Pablo Agostini.
*Attending Physician: Dr. Irma Sugo
*Ophthalmic Technician: Claudia Morales.
*Nursing Assistant: Guillermo Paiva.
*Assistant (from the Assistance Center): Mrs. Patricia Perez.
*Secretarial Assistant: Mrs. Estela Perez.
*Data Gathering Program: Italo Baldazzi, programmer.
*Primary Health Care Nurse: Andrea Amorin, RN.
*Medical Students from the Latin American Center on Human Economy
(CLAEH): Viviana Martinez, Sofia Lados, Carolina Sosa, Sabrina Curbelo, Lucia
Carro, Veronica Perez, Karina Viroga y Sofia Seimur.
Instruments used were provided by the participating ophthalmologists
The facilities, nursing personnel, and supplies used were provided by the
Departmental Medical Assistance Center of Maldonado.
Coordination was handled by Dr. Orietta Sugo.
In Summary:
We believe the two objectives laid out were fully achieved:
* Ophthalmological examination of patients to detect Glaucoma.
* Satisfactory education and increased awareness among the people of
Maldonado about the risk of glaucoma as ‘the silent thief of sight'.
With best wishes,
Orietta Sugo, MD.
GLAUCOMA INFORMATION AND DETECTION CAMPAIGN
WORLD SIGHT DAY, OCTOBER 2008
PRELIMINARY REPORT
a. The Departmental Medical Assistance Center of Maldonado.
b. San Carlos Clinic (Maldonado, Uruguay).
c. Coordinating Ophthalmologist for the Campaign: Dr. Orietta Sugo.
On Saturday 18 October, the Assistance Center's First Campaign against Blindness
was held at the San Carlos Clinic (City of San Carlos, Maldonado Department,
Uruguay). The purpose of the campaign was detection of patients
with glaucoma and education of the population.
During the previous week various articles appeared in local newspapers, and
pamphlets and posters were distributed to healthcare institutions.
Interviews were granted to television and radio programs to explain the topic of
glaucoma to the populace, including information on the risk of adults developing the
disease, and of it not being detected in time due to the near absence of symptoms
unless regular checkups are made by an ophthalmologist.
The campaign was a success, with almost 200 patients seen without charge, including
both members of the institution and non-members.
Checks were made of visual acuity, the fundus, and of intraocular pressure, and
automated visual field screening was done when indicated.
Leaflets were distributed (thanks to help from ALCON Labs) with information on
glaucoma. The risk of developing glaucoma as revealed by their individual test results
was explained to each patient.
Patients found to have glaucoma or suspicion of glaucoma were urged to consult their
preferred ophthalmologist, and patients found to have no problems were informed of
the importance of an annual exam by the ophthalmologist.
People working on the campaign included:
*Physicians: Ophthalmologists: Doctors Mirta Acosta, Janet Garcia, and Orietta Sugo.
*General Practitioner: Dr. Pablo Agostini.
*Attending Physician: Dr. Irma Sugo
*Ophthalmic Technician: Claudia Morales.
*Nursing Assistant: Guillermo Paiva.
*Assistant (from the Assistance Center): Mrs. Patricia Perez.
*Secretarial Assistant: Mrs. Estela Perez.
*Data Gathering Program: Italo Baldazzi, programmer.
*Primary Health Care Nurse: Andrea Amorin, RN.
*Medical Students from the Latin American Center on Human Economy (CLAEH):
Viviana Martinez, Sofia Lados, Carolina Sosa, Sabrina Curbelo, Lucia Carro,
Veronica Perez, Karina Viroga y Sofia Seimur.
Instruments used were provided by the participating ophthalmologists
The facilities, nursing personnel, and supplies used were provided by the
Departmental Medical Assistance Center of Maldonado.
Coordination was handled by Dr. Orietta Sugo.
In Summary:
We believe the two objectives laid out were fully achieved:
* Ophthalmological examination of patients to detect Glaucoma.
* Satisfactory education and increased awareness among the people of
Maldonado about the risk of glaucoma as 'the silent thief of sight'.
With best wishes,
Orietta Sugo, MD.
VENEZUELA
The Instituto Popular para los Ojos Dr. F. Belisario-Navarro (Francisco Belisario
national public eye institute) of Caracas, Venezuela, in accord with the guidelines
outlined by the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight program, joined in the activities
dedicated to celebrating World Sight Day, which was celebrated on October 9th this
year. To mark the day, the Institute held meetings and provided support material to the
Venezuelan Society of Ophthalmology, a medical organization that includes the
ophthalmologists union, in an effort to join forces with all the nation’s ophthalmologists
and better support this world event.
In accord with the theme of “Eyes on the Future, Don’t let them steal your sight” the
organization set up exams and screening free of charge for elderly person from greater
Caracas and the State of Miranda, with particular attention given to older adults in the
community of Quebrada Anauco, which is at the confluence of 11 shantytowns, and yet
not far from the institution.
A publicity campaign was mounted in the national and regional media as part of the
plan, to let people know about our activities while at the same time informing them
about the four primary causes of blindness: cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma,
and age-related macular degeneration.
It is worth mentioning that for years we have been providing a lecture and hands-on
practical training program for ophthalmic assistants in our institution, and that although
it is a two-year program, the future ophthalmic assistants begin working with doctors
and patients within a few weeks, to help them learn by doing. In institutions that do
high-volume blindness prevention work, and on this day especially, the ophthalmic
assistant is extremely important, being the person who readies the patient beginning in
the stages of identification, case-taking, identification of important background
information, measurement of visual acuity with or without correction, and of visual
acuity with a pinhole lens, allowing immediate classification of patients with refractive
error or organic eye disease. Assistants also handle automated refraction and routine
frequency doubling technology (FDT) in patients over 40 years of age. and assist at the
same time in administering eye drops for taking intraocular pressure and dilatation of
the pupil to allow the physician to examine the retina more easily, and many other
specialized exams the patient may need. This means that assistants must know how to
use all the types of equipment needed in an ophthalmological exam. Their performance
greatly reduces the time lost between seeing patients, allowing each physician to see
the maximum number of patients possible in a day.
Assistants also work with administrative personnel in setting up appointments and
filling out forms for eye exams or complementary testing, and act as liaisons with
management for budgeting when required. Thanks to their help, the ophthalmologist
can dedicate all his time to real ophthalmological work.
They are a vital human resource in organizing our prevention of blindness campaign.
In regards to World Sight Day and the role of the ophthalmic industry, we changed
strategy this time and did not assess patients or do exact diagnoses of their
pathologies if unable to find a way for the medications, cataract surgery, corrective
lenses, or laser treatment needed to be paid for. Once patients had been assessed,
they were divided into groups according to their pathologies, and each of various
medical manufacturers made commitments to help these patients deal with their
disease; for example, some of these firms will provide the monthly treatment needed
for the patients found to have glaucoma on that day, and help was likewise provided
for those who needed laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy with money budgeted for
pro bono purposes, with us supplying the list of eligible patients when the procedure
was complete. Patients who were found to have bilateral cataract, fortunately, were
covered by a project we run with CBM, which provides the supplies for such
procedures and also provides sufficient funding to subsidize operating costs for
patients who do not have the means to pay for it themselves.
Our new strategy with the ophthalmic industry seems to work as well, or perhaps even
better, than in past years when the industry practically had to mount its own publicity
campaign in the mass media. Today, after five years of working together on publicity
campaigns for World Sight Day and on the primary causes of blindness in the world
and Venezuela, we have reached a point where the broadcast and print press now
anticipate the celebration of World Sight Day and call us back immediately when sent
material on it by our press department.
For example, we can say that this year we have had an average of 27 appearances in
the media, specifically, in:
Radio:
Station: Kys 101.5 FM – Program: La Hora del Gato
Station: Kys 101.5 FM – Program: Salud por Kys
Station: Circuito X 89.7 FM – Program: El primero del día
Station: Mágica 99.1 FM – Program: Un café con Shia Bertoni
Station: Melodía Stereo 93.5 FM – Program: hoy es tu día
Station: RCR 750 AM – Program: RCR Salud
Station: Radio Continente 590 AM – Program: Continente al día
Television:
Channel 1 – Program: Un Momento Diferente
Print Press:
Capital city newspapers with national circulation:
Newspaper El Nacional
Newspaper El Universal
Newspaper Últimas Noticias
Newspaper Primera Hora
Newspaper Vea
Weekly Quinto Día
Around the country
Newspaper Antorcha – State of Anzoátegui
Newspaper Guayana – State of Bolívar
Newspaper Los Andes – State of Táchira
Newspaper La Región – State of Miranda (Los Teques)
Newspaper El Impulso – State of Lara
WEB PAGES:
Newspaper El Nacional
Newspaper El Universal
Newspaper Últimas Noticias
Newspaper Primera Hora
Newspaper Antorcha – State of Anzoátegui
Newspaper Guayana – State of Bolívar
Newspaper Los Andes – State of Táchira
Newspaper La Región – State of Miranda (Los Teques)
Newspaper El Impulso – State of Lara
The Instituto Popular para los Ojos Dr. F. Belisario-Navarro, as always, lent its support
to the international effort for the prevention of blindness.
Magalis Hernandez de Belisario, MD
Vice-President,
Francisco Belisario, Instituto Popular para los Ojos
Caracas, Venezuela.
Member, IAPB
Coordinator for Prevention of Blindness,
Ophthalmology Society of Venezuela (SVO)
THE DAY IN PICTURES
The team together with the Medical Director and coordinator, Dr. Magally H. de
Belisario
Patients were organized by previously scheduled appointments, facilitating the process
on WSD
Elderly patients from Caracas and the State of Miranda answered the call of the
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)