A Vision for a Brighter Future: Observing Prevention of Blindness Week
A multitude of people worldwide face blindness as an abysmal public health concern. Not only does it hinder an individual from living their life to the fullest, but it also puts a strain on their family and . But the majority of blind cases can still be cured or taken care of with swift intervention, proper health care, and awareness.
Cataracts, which is yet another major reason, tend to affect the elderly and can be easily treated with surgery. Glaucoma is another prevalent reason. It is often called ‘The silent thief of vision’ since it stealthily paces the damage to the optic nerve until the later stages with no peculiar symptoms. Untreated cases can also cause blindness and diabetic retinopathy due to hyperglycemia is one of them. Refractive errors, vitamin deficiency, and trachoma are some other preventable causes. Eyesight tests are vital for patients who have diabetes, elderly people, and patients with a family history of eye diseases.
Treating blinding conditions requires a diligent approach, such as implementing early detection techniques, which postpone further damage to one’s eyesight. With proper eye check-ups, caring parents can prevent developmental issues such as lazy eye, myopia, or astigmatism. Proper sanitation facilities help those at risk of developing trachoma, and mothers in some areas desperately need to be supported with vitamin-rich nutrition. There are active steps that people can take themselves to alleviate the chances of avoidable blindness, such as raising suitable awareness about eye hygiene, regular check-ups, and eye care maintenance, particularly for children, granted they use appropriate goggles in hazardous work areas.
Access to primary eye care services should be complemented and promoted by proactively incentivizing collaboration between education and health to train low-cost eye care practitioners. Through the mobile eye clinics and other outreach activities, patients from more remote regions are guaranteed to receive treatment. Newer therapeutics for glaucoma, advanced surgery for cataract extraction, and even laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy are just a few provided examples that have dealt with these eye conditions. Lastly, blindness can be efficiently dealt with by adopting an awareness strategy accompanied by early detection combined with the right medical care.
–Written by Amna
–Edited by Rupam Shukla
