Eye surgery- Once blind, now they can see
Jan 10, 2010
I lost my sight one afternoon and collapsed. I could no longer distinguish between day and night. Much as I had lost hope and had to quickly learn to survive without my sight, I was soon given hope when I was told I could recover my sight if surgery was performed.
By David Sempijja
I lost my sight one afternoon and collapsed. I could no longer distinguish between day and night. Much as I had lost hope and had to quickly learn to survive without my sight, I was soon given hope when I was told I could recover my sight if surgery was performed.
This is the testimony of the once blind Janet Nakalema, 54, a resident of Nansana, Wakiso district. Nakalema was a victim of cataract disease that had rendered her completely blind.
The opportunity to see was courtesy of the Seeing is Believing campaign, spearheaded by Standard Chartered Bank in conjunction with Sight Savers International.
About 2,200 people underwent surgery and regained sight during the six-month campaign. Like Nakalema, many people completely lose hope when they go blind. They think that there is either no medical remedy, or fear that the process of recovering their sight is expensive.
Dr. Nsibirwa Ssali, an ophthalmologist at Kampala Eye Consultants Clinic, says: “Many people are not aware that the blind can recover their sight no matter how long they have been blind.
No one should lose hope until a professional medical personnel says the situation is irreverstable.†She says some people consider the eye to be too delicate to be operated on, but surgery can be subjected to any body organ.
At about sh100,000, doctors can help restore one’s sight through surgery.
Being one of the most important body organs, eyes need extra care to prevent them from contracting diseases.
Seek immediate medical attention, go for periodical medical checkups and live in a clean environment. Sight Savers International is currently serving as the country’s key stakeholder in mitigating eye health problems by ensuring people avoid diseases or access necessary medical help and social care.
Stephen Kasolo, the project officer, concurs with Ssali that information on eyecare is not readily available to the public.
“There is vital information people have not yet received about the way they are supposed to take care of their eyes, but we are trying under limited resources with other stakeholders to ensure some gaps are closed,†he says.
According to Sight Savers International, about 300,000 Ugandans are suffering from avoidable blindness, above 70% of this number can have their sight restored.
The research shows higher mortality rates among children and adults who are visually impaired. It is estimated that between 50-60% of the children who become blind die within one to two years.
Poor eye health is surprisingly one of the commonest health problems in developing countries.
The World Health Oragnisation (WHO) estimates that one adult goes blind every second and one child becomes blind every minute. Globally, an estimated 314 million people are visually impaired, including 45 million people who are blind, 90% of whom live in poor countries.
Beyond blindness and visual impairment, a range of other eye diseases and conditions such as presbyopia and conjunctivitis are also widespread, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and responsible for hampering individual and community productivity.
Overall, limited available data at Sight Savers suggests that eye diseases and visual impairments affect up to 21% of the population in developing countries.
WHO estimates more than 30% of those with eye health problems in Africa do not have access to the services, but in developed countries the figure is less than 10%.
Commissioner for community health services Dr. Anthony Mbonye in the health ministry says blindness still ranks among the 10 leading morbidity (ill health) factors among Ugandans, putting them in a devastating state by reducing their lifespan by 10 years.
Mbonye says eye ill health has a negative bearing on economic development because it is a public cost.
The annual global economic impact of blindness and low vision was estimated at $42b (about sh82trillion) in 2000.
However, if the prevalence of visual impairment does not decrease, the figure is projected to rise to $110b (210 trillion) per year by 2020, with a regional cost of 0.5% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa and India.
All those problems notwithstanding, with today’s knowledge on technology, up to 80% of global blindness is preventable or treatable and this calls for concerted effort in up-scaling avenues to neutralise eye related health problems.
The campaign cost Standard Chartered Bank over sh170m while Sight Savers International has spent sh40m.
Lamin K. Manjaga, the Stanchart managing director, says: “The a global campaign was launched as the bank group celebrated her 150th anniversary in 2003 and by 2008, it had reached over five million people in 17 countries, contributing to over two million sight restorations.â€
The bank expects to inject not less than $20m (about sh40trillion) in the campaign in order to provide sustainable eyecare services for 20 million people in deprived communities in 20 cities.
I lost my sight one afternoon and collapsed. I could no longer distinguish between day and night. Much as I had lost hope and had to quickly learn to survive without my sight, I was soon given hope when I was told I could recover my sight if surgery was performed.
This is the testimony of the once blind Janet Nakalema, 54, a resident of Nansana, Wakiso district. Nakalema was a victim of cataract disease that had rendered her completely blind.
The opportunity to see was courtesy of the Seeing is Believing campaign, spearheaded by Standard Chartered Bank in conjunction with Sight Savers International.
About 2,200 people underwent surgery and regained sight during the six-month campaign. Like Nakalema, many people completely lose hope when they go blind. They think that there is either no medical remedy, or fear that the process of recovering their sight is expensive.
Dr. Nsibirwa Ssali, an ophthalmologist at Kampala Eye Consultants Clinic, says: “Many people are not aware that the blind can recover their sight no matter how long they have been blind.
No one should lose hope until a professional medical personnel says the situation is irreverstable.†She says some people consider the eye to be too delicate to be operated on, but surgery can be subjected to any body organ.
At about sh100,000, doctors can help restore one’s sight through surgery.
Being one of the most important body organs, eyes need extra care to prevent them from contracting diseases.
Seek immediate medical attention, go for periodical medical checkups and live in a clean environment. Sight Savers International is currently serving as the country’s key stakeholder in mitigating eye health problems by ensuring people avoid diseases or access necessary medical help and social care.
Stephen Kasolo, the project officer, concurs with Ssali that information on eyecare is not readily available to the public.
“There is vital information people have not yet received about the way they are supposed to take care of their eyes, but we are trying under limited resources with other stakeholders to ensure some gaps are closed,†he says.
According to Sight Savers International, about 300,000 Ugandans are suffering from avoidable blindness, above 70% of this number can have their sight restored.
The research shows higher mortality rates among children and adults who are visually impaired. It is estimated that between 50-60% of the children who become blind die within one to two years.
Poor eye health is surprisingly one of the commonest health problems in developing countries.
The World Health Oragnisation (WHO) estimates that one adult goes blind every second and one child becomes blind every minute. Globally, an estimated 314 million people are visually impaired, including 45 million people who are blind, 90% of whom live in poor countries.
Beyond blindness and visual impairment, a range of other eye diseases and conditions such as presbyopia and conjunctivitis are also widespread, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and responsible for hampering individual and community productivity.
Overall, limited available data at Sight Savers suggests that eye diseases and visual impairments affect up to 21% of the population in developing countries.
WHO estimates more than 30% of those with eye health problems in Africa do not have access to the services, but in developed countries the figure is less than 10%.
Commissioner for community health services Dr. Anthony Mbonye in the health ministry says blindness still ranks among the 10 leading morbidity (ill health) factors among Ugandans, putting them in a devastating state by reducing their lifespan by 10 years.
Mbonye says eye ill health has a negative bearing on economic development because it is a public cost.
The annual global economic impact of blindness and low vision was estimated at $42b (about sh82trillion) in 2000.
However, if the prevalence of visual impairment does not decrease, the figure is projected to rise to $110b (210 trillion) per year by 2020, with a regional cost of 0.5% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa and India.
All those problems notwithstanding, with today’s knowledge on technology, up to 80% of global blindness is preventable or treatable and this calls for concerted effort in up-scaling avenues to neutralise eye related health problems.
The campaign cost Standard Chartered Bank over sh170m while Sight Savers International has spent sh40m.
Lamin K. Manjaga, the Stanchart managing director, says: “The a global campaign was launched as the bank group celebrated her 150th anniversary in 2003 and by 2008, it had reached over five million people in 17 countries, contributing to over two million sight restorations.â€
The bank expects to inject not less than $20m (about sh40trillion) in the campaign in order to provide sustainable eyecare services for 20 million people in deprived communities in 20 cities.