Prevention of Blindness |

Blindness is not pre-destined

90% of all blind people live in the underprivileged regions of the world.

Four times the population of Austria (4 x 8,5 million). That is the number of people who are blind worldwide. It is not by chance that 90% of blind people live in the underprivileged regions of our world. In principle the main reasons for blindness are avoidable or curable: cataracts, trachoma, river blindness, vitamin A deficiency, glaucoma.

In the marginalized regions of the world many things are needed so as to be able to help people who are in danger of going blind or who are already blind: the relevant knowledge and awareness among the population that blindness can be avoided; medicines and distribution mechanisms; ophthalmological institutions; enough trained local specialist staff.

Eye diseases which can be cured by simple means and are rarely a problem in western industrialised countries cause unimaginable suffering in poor regions of the world.

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD helps

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD is highly active in the field of blindness prevention. In cooperation with other NGOs working in this field, the WHO and governmental actors in the partner-countries, conditions are built to give blind people back their sight and to treat those people on time who are in danger of becoming blind.

Ophthalmological facilities and their accessibility: Within the framework of the National plans for the prevention of blindness, one important measure is to increase the number of ophthalmological facilities so that blind people and people with eye diseases can receive treatment. In our partner countries, there are still many regions with over one million inhabitants which do not have a single eye clinic. Therefore, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD supports the establishment and operation of eye clinics in these regions, for example in the central and northern provinces of Mozambique.

Just last year, Abdi Daher completed his training as an ophthalmologist in Nairobi, Kenya, with the help of LIGHT FOR THE WORLD. This makes him the first native eye doctor in his home of Djibouti.

In cooperation with the eye clinics, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD develops programs which provide people in remote rural regions with access to existing eye clinics and in which specialists travel to the surrounding villages. In this way, the local population can be provided with eye care. Conducting eye examinations at schools is another especially important measure in the prevention of blindness.

Training of local specialists: In order to ensure that sustainable eye care is provided in developing countries, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD not only supports training measures in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia for eye specialists and ophthalmologists from various African countries.
Medium-level ophthalmology specialists such as eye care nurses and cataract surgeons are also provided with training.
Moreover, in numerous programs enabled by LIGHT FOR THE WORLD, local workers are trained so that they can make valuable contributions to avoiding and diagnosing – and thus preventing – eye diseases in their villages.

Eliminating avoidable blindness

37 million people in the world are blind. 90 % of them live in the underprivileged regions of the world. In three out of four cases, people‘s blindness could be avoided or cured.

Cataract

Cataract in advanced state

According to the figures estimated by the WHO, by the year 2020 about 50 million people will be blind because of cataract - unless decisive action is taken.
In our part of the world cataract is no longer something to be afraid of but in the poor regions of the earth it is still the main reason why people go blind. The most frequent occurrence is the age-related cataract, mostly caused by metabolic diseases and ageing of the tissue. However, a cataract can also be inherited, congenital or caused by injuries to the eye which means that in poor regions many children are also frequently affected: every tenth blind child is blind because of cataract.

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People who suffer from cataract can be helped with a simple, 15-minute operation. Under a local anaesthetic, the clouded lens is replaced by an artificial, so-called intra-ocular lens (IOL).
With an average of € 30 we can save the eyesight of one person.
So cataract surgeries are the most effective measures in curing eye diseases.

Our request: You can give eye sight!
A cataract surgery costs 30 Euro. Every contribution helps!

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Trachoma

This child suffers from trachoma

The micro-organism chlamydia trachomatis is transmitted by direct contact with infected eye secretion as well as by flies and it causes an acute inflammation of the connective tissue. The eyelid and connective tissue swell up, after a period of time form scars and the eyelid gradually turns inwards. The eyelashes then scratch the cornea which again leads to secondary infections and successively to the formation of ulcers on the cornea and connective tissue. If this is not treated, it can in time lead to incurable blindness.
With an antibiotic eye ointment the inflammation can be healed at an early stage; if the eyelid has already turned inwards, the only thing that helps is an operation on the eyelid.

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LIGHT FOR THE WORLD - Christoffel Development Cooperation orientates its efforts in combating trachoma on the SAFE programme developed by the WHO: Surgery (surgical treatment, operation), antibiotics, (treatment with an antibiotic ointment), Face Cleaning (hygiene), Environmental Improvement (improving life conditions by building latrines, collecting rainwater, refuse disposal, setting up a water supply, and adult education).

Our request: You can give eye sight!
It only takes 5 Euro to treat an affected family with an antibiotic eye ointment. An operation on the eyelid costs a mere 15 Euro, and this can prevent a person from having to spend the rest of his or her life in darkness.

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Childhood blindness

Distribution of vitamin a in Ethiopia. A small capsule prevents serious illness

Distribution of vitamin a in Pakistan. A small capsule prevents serious illness

Vitamin A deficiency is not an eye disease in itself but the result of under- or malnutrition, often in connection with diseases such as measles or diarrhoea. In particular children in poor regions of the world are affected; over long periods the deficiency leads to blindness.
Every year between 350,000 and 500,000 children go blind irreversibly because of a vitamin A deficiency. There are already more than one and a half million children who are blind; about 250 million people suffer from a chronic vitamin A deficiency.

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One small capsule can save a person's eyesight. Distributing vitamin A capsules to children who are ill can prevent the incurable blindness. When there is an acute deficiency the children are given three high doses of vitamin A on two consecutive days and then again within one month.

Children who are endangered receive vitamin A tables as a precaution. One capsule protects the child for half a year from going blind.
The Roche company provides the vitamin A capsules free of charge.

Our request: You can give eye sight!
The distribution and supervision of the right application and dosage for 10 children cost on average 10 Euro.

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Refractive error and low vision

$Measuring refractive errors$

Children with uncorrected refractive errors have severe visual impairments and are often even functionally blind. Without the proper assistance and support, they have no chance of leading a self-sufficient and self-determined life. In addition to providing suitable glasses, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD supports the education of refractionists, for example in Jimma, Ethiopia and in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Rehabilitating the approximately 124 million people afflicted with low vision worldwide is a more complex issue. In addition to providing special vision aids, therapeutic and pedagogical support are indispensable for children. In Kikuyu, Kenya, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD supports a model project which also serves as a training facility for low vision therapists for the entire East African region.

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River blindness - onchozerkosis

In the knot in the man's forehaed the worms encapsulate

Worldwide 17 million people are infected with river blindness.

In our part of the world only experts know about river blindness but in the underprivileged countries of the world 17 million people are infected. A tiny mosquito that breeds beside fast flowing waters transmits the pathogens of this desease. The black fly bites people as they are irrigating, fetching water, washing or working in the fields and infects them with the tiny larvae. The larvae can live up to 12 years in the human body and release millions of microscopically small worms (microfilaria). These move around the body and reach the eye. Permanent itching is a significant symptom; the sight nerve is gradually destroyed an thus leads to incurable blindness.

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In many villages in the affected regions there is hardly anyone over fifty who has not already gone blind. The right dose of the medicine Mectizan is sufficient to stop the reproduction of the worms and thereby to prevent blindness. Mectizan has to be taken once or twice a year. The medicine is made available tu us free of charge and we ensure that there is a well functioning distribution and control system. It costs 1 Euro to distribute on tablet,

Our request: You can give eyesight!
The treatment of 10 people with Mectizan costs 10 Euro.

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