28 February 2020
A trio of international organisations have joined in partnership to launch a community-based screening programme to prevent glaucoma-related vision loss in Odisha, India.
The Keep Sight India initiative has been established in the Gamjam District of the country by Allergan, Sightsavers and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
The programme is designed to provide training for healthcare professionals to enable them to screen at-risk populations, ensure early and accurate diagnosis, and provide treatment and long-term care to people with glaucoma.
A pilot of the programme was initially launched in October last year, with five outreach camps having now been held in the area. The outreach camps have provided patients with vision testing, refraction, IOP measurement, fundus photography, spectacle dispensing, cataract identification and referral services.
To date the programme has screened 8276 people for glaucoma, with 749 suspect cases identified.
CEO of Sightsavers India, RN Mohanty, highlighted that in the region human resources, a lack of awareness and limited access to medical treatments were the main barriers to glaucoma prevention.
“The partnership between Sightsavers and Allergan is an example of the vital associations that are needed to fight avoidable blindness and deliver better services at the community level,” he added.
The Keep Sight India initiative has been established in the Gamjam District of the country by Allergan, Sightsavers and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
The programme is designed to provide training for healthcare professionals to enable them to screen at-risk populations, ensure early and accurate diagnosis, and provide treatment and long-term care to people with glaucoma.
A pilot of the programme was initially launched in October last year, with five outreach camps having now been held in the area. The outreach camps have provided patients with vision testing, refraction, IOP measurement, fundus photography, spectacle dispensing, cataract identification and referral services.
To date the programme has screened 8276 people for glaucoma, with 749 suspect cases identified.
CEO of Sightsavers India, RN Mohanty, highlighted that in the region human resources, a lack of awareness and limited access to medical treatments were the main barriers to glaucoma prevention.
“The partnership between Sightsavers and Allergan is an example of the vital associations that are needed to fight avoidable blindness and deliver better services at the community level,” he added.
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