International Vision Care: Issues and Approaches

TFOS lifestyle: Impact of societal challenges on the ocular surface

Societal factors associated with ocular surface diseases were mapped using a framework to characterize the relationship between the individual, their health and environment. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating factors on ocular surface diseases were considered in a systematic review. Age and sex effects were generally well-characterized for inflammatory, infectious, autoimmune and trauma-related conditions. Sex and gender, through biological, socio-economic, and cultural factors impact the prevalence and severity of disease, access to, and use of, care. Genetic factors, race, smoking and co-morbidities are generally well characterized, with interdependencies with geographical, employment and socioeconomic factors. Living and working conditions include employment, education, water and sanitation, poverty and socioeconomic class. Employment type and hobbies are associated with eye trauma and burns. Regional, global socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions, include remoteness, geography, seasonality, availability of and access to services. Violence associated with war, acid attacks and domestic violence are associated with traumatic injuries. The impacts of conflict, pandemic and climate are exacerbated by decreased food security, access to health services and workers. Digital technology can impact diseases through physical and mental health effects and access to health information and services. The COVID-19 pandemic and related mitigating strategies are mostly associated with an increased risk of developing new or worsening existing ocular surface diseases. Societal factors impact the type and severity of ocular surface diseases, although there is considerable interdependence between factors. The overlay of the digital environment, natural disasters, conflict and the pandemic have modified access to services in some regions.

Exploring Ophthalmologists' Adoption of Telemedicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic promoted hitherto unseen uptake of telemedicine by ophthalmologists. We performed a mixed methods study to explore patters of utilization during the pandemic and perceived future utility.

METHODS

Ophthalmologists practicing in Canada between March and July 2020 were invited to complete an online questionnaire assessing demographics, clinical practice characteristics and telemedicine utilization prior to and during the pandemic. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to analyze the data. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify groups who varied on the types of visits offered using telemedicine. Ten one-on-one interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic content analysis to explain trends observed in the survey data.

RESULTS

Seventy-three ophthalmologists completed the survey. Six percent reported using telemedicine prior to the pandemic compared to 80% during the pandemic. A significant majority (81%) primarily used the telephone for telemedicine visits. Overall, visit volumes during the pandemic declined to 40% of pre-pandemic levels, with a smaller decline for ophthalmologists who used telemedicine than those who did not. Those who used telemedicine for all visit types were more likely to use telemedicine software and to anticipate a modest-to-large role for telemedicine in their future practice.

DISCUSSION

For many ophthalmologists, integrating telemedicine into clinical practice may have partially offset the disruption to normal clinical activities during the pandemic. While the majority saw telemedicine as a temporary solution, a sizeable minority appear to have made considerable use of the technology and see an ongoing role for it once regular clinical activities resume.

Characterising transnational ophthalmic surgical partnerships by engagement and training

BACKGROUND

Transnational ophthalmic partnerships exist between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in varying capacities. We analyzed partnership stakeholders to better understand and address disparities in ophthalmic surgical care.

METHODS

An international Web search was conducted to identify surgeons, foundations or organisations participating in ophthalmic delivery and/or capacity building from 2010 to 2019. Partnerships were defined through clinical activities, education and training and/or research support. Descriptive data on current ophthalmic partnerships were collected from published reports, literature reviews and information on stakeholder webpages. Partnerships were classified by the extent of engagement and training: grade I 'engagement' represented documented partnerships of at least 1 year and grade I 'training' limited or poorly defined skills transfer programmes, while grade III 'engagement' represented partnerships with well-documented fiscal investment and/or research productivity and grade III 'training' established training programmes. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and geospatially depicted on Tableau (Mountain View, CA) and ArcMap software (Redlands, CA).

RESULTS

In total, 209 unique HIC-LMIC partnerships encompassing 92 unique countries were described. The most common HIC partners were from North America (123; 59%), followed by Europe (75; 36%). The most common LMIC partners were from Africa (102; 49%), followed by Asia-Pacific (54; 26%) and Latin America (44; 21%). Additionally, partnerships most frequently provided services in cataract (48%), glaucoma (25%) and diabetic retinopathy (25%). The most common 'engagement' classifications were grade I (36%) or II (40%); the most common 'training' classifications were grade I (61%) or II (23%).

CONCLUSION

Transnational ophthalmic partnerships exist with varying degrees of both engagement and training. Partnerships are stronger in research collaboration and direct services, and weaker in LMIC-directed training programmes.

Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding diabetic retinopathy screening and its management among diabetic patients at a private hospital of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE:

We present the KAP levels and the determinants for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening and management at a private hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS:

A chart review was performed of DM patients to collect the demographics and diabetes related information in June to December 2017. A close ended questionnaire was used that queried knowledge (7), attitude (5) and practice for DR screening (7).

RESULTS:

Two hundred participants were interviewed half from endocrinology unit and half from the eye clinic. An excellent knowledge of the ophthalmic effects of diabetes was noted in 91 [45.5% (95% Confidence Interval CI 38.6–52.4) of participants. Thirty-eight [19% (95% CI 13.6–24.4)] participants had a positive attitude. None had an excellent grade of practice and poor practice was noted in 168 [74% (95% CI 78.9–89.1)] participants. Longer duration of DM (P = 0.07) and systemic complications (P = 0.06) were associated with good knowledge. Attitude was not significantly associated with any determinants. Good practice was associated with the presence of systemic complications of DM (P < 0.01) and those recruited to the eye clinic (P = 0.06). Only 35% of patients had undergone an annual DR screening. Only 4 patients had a history of laser treatment.

CONCLUSION:

The KAP of diabetic patients regarding DR screening and management is less than desired. Establishing protocols and public health promotion activities directed at early detection and management are urgently needed in private sectors of Saudi Arabia.

Primary eye care in India - The vision center model

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan (GAP) 2014-19 emphasize providing Comprehensive Eye Care (CEC) using the health system approach to achieve Universal Eye Health Coverage (UEHC). An important aspect of CEC is Primary Eye Care (PEC). The scope of PEC varies significantly with primary health workers providing PEC in most parts of the developing world, whereas in developed nations PEC is provided by specialized personnel such as optometrists. This article focuses on delivery of PEC models in India, specifically through the vision center (VC) approach. VCs are part of a larger eye care network and provide PEC in remote rural areas of the country. The authors describe the how PEC is delivered in more than 300 VCs operated by six mentor hospitals in India under the Global Sight Initiative (GSI). Key factors compared include: The role of leadership; human resource planning, including recruitment and retention; service delivery; leveraging technology for planning and reaching key populations; financial sustainability; supply chain management; and quality and monitoring. It also discusses issues to be considered to strengthen VCs as we move ahead towards our collective goal of achieving UEHC and eliminating avoidable blindness.

Comprehensive eye care - Issues, challenges, and way forward

As we move from a disease-specific care model toward comprehensive eye care (CEC), there is a need for a more holistic and integrated approach involving the health system. It should encompass not only treatment, but also prevention, promotion, and rehabilitation of incurable blindness. Although a few models already exist, the majority of health systems still face the challenges in the implementation of CEC, mainly due to political, economic, and logistic barriers. Shortage of eye care human resources, lack of educational skills, paucity of funds, limited access to instrumentation and treatment modalities, poor outreach, lack of transportation, and fear of surgery represent the major barriers to its large-scale diffusion. In most low- and middle-income countries, primary eye care services are defective and are inadequately integrated into primary health care and national health systems. Social, economic, and demographic factors such as age, gender, place of residence, personal incomes, ethnicity, political status, and health status also reduce the potential of success of any intervention. This article highlights these issues and demonstrates the way forward to address them by strengthening the health system as well as leveraging technological innovations to facilitate further care.

Self-reported fall and associated factors among adult people with visual impairment in Gondar, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background

Fall is a major public health problem and potentially disabling issue. A vast burden of visually impaired live in low-middle income countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Limited ability to detect environmental hazards puts visually impaired at a greater risk of falls and unintentional injuries. Falls among visually impaired is associated with considerable disability, health care cost, loss of independence, and socio-economic consequences. Ethiopia lacked estimates of fall among any vulnerable population, particularly among visually impaired people. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of falls and factors associated among adult people with medically diagnosed visual impairment in Ethiopia.

Methods

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among visually impaired adults who attended the ophthalmology clinic at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital during the study period. Data were collected by interview method using structured questionnaires, patient medical record reviews, and physical measurements. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression model analysis was used to identify factors associated with falls. Adjusted odds ratio with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were computed to show the strength of association.

Results

A total of 328 adults medically diagnosed with visual impairment participated in the study (97.3% response rate). The age of the participants ranged from 25 to 89 years with a mean age of (56.46 ± 14.2 years). The overall cumulative prevalence of self-reported falls among adults with visual impairment was 26.8% with 95%CI (22.7, 32.4%). The major associated factors of fall identified by multivariate analysis were; visual impairment in both eye (AOR 3.21, 95% CI 1.11, 9.29), fear of falling: some concerned: (AOR, 4.12; 95%CI, 1.44, 11.76), very concerned fear (AOR 10.03; 95% CI, 3.03, 33.21), medications: (AOR 4.63; 95% CI 2.14, 10.00) and self-reported depression: (AOR 3.46; 95% CI 1.11, 10.79).

Conclusion

The result of this study indicates a moderate self-reported prevalence of fall among adult people with medically diagnosed visual impairment. Identifying sub-groups at risk of falls among visually impaired, modifiable risk factors, implementation of precaution measures to avoid fall and fall-related injuries, and most importantly measures that would reduce the fear of falls in visually impaired people deserves immediate attention.

Temporal trends in the prevalence of spectacle use and spectacle coverage in India

BACKGROUND

This study aims to assess the temporal trends in the prevalence of spectacle use and spectacle coverage for refractive errors in population-based studies conducted during 2011-2012 and 2017 among those aged ≥ 40 years in the state of Telangana, India. An intervention in the form of 10 vision centres and a secondary centre was established in one district (Khammam) after the 2011-2012 study and another district (Warangal) was left to secular trends.

METHODS

In both the studies, multi-stage cluster random sampling methodology was used to select the participants. In addition to a clinical examination, a questionnaire was used for collecting information on current and previous use of spectacles, type of spectacles and details of the spectacle providers. The same questionnaire was used in both the studies.

RESULTS

In total, 2,485 participants were examined in the 2011-2012 study and 2,711 participants were examined in the 2017 study in Khammam. Similarly, 2,438 and 2,646 participants were examined in Warangal in the two studies, respectively. In Khammam, the age and gender-adjusted prevalence of current spectacle use increased from 30.0 per cent (95% CI 28.2-31.9) to 34.8 per cent (95% CI 33.0-36.6) in the 2011-2012 and 2017 studies, respectively (p < 0.01). However, in the Warangal district, the age and gender-adjusted prevalence of current spectacle use declined from 32.8 per cent (95% CI 31.0-34.7) to 27.6 per cent (95% CI 25.9-29.3) during the 2011-2012 and 2017 studies, respectively (p < 0.01). In Khammam, the spectacle coverage increased from 26.9 per cent to 35.6 per cent, but it declined from 43.8 per cent to 35.7 per cent in Warangal between the studies in 2011-2012 and 2017.

CONCLUSIONS

An increase in spectacle use and coverage was observed in Khammam where the secondary centre and vision centres were established, compared to Warangal where there was no such intervention. The results suggest a positive impact of the intervention in the Khammam district and suggest replication of the model to address the burden of uncorrected refractive errors.

How to improve Iranians' vision health: on the national policy of preventing Iranians' blindness

AIM

To review vision health situation of Iranian community, analyze its determinants, and discuss the adopted improvement strategies by the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME).

METHODS

This was a rapid situation analysis with a qualitative approach in three parts of recognition, orientation and implementation. The data were gathered via review of upstream documents, national and international experiences, and experts and stakeholders' opinions.

RESULTS

Eradicating trachoma, increasing human resources, increasing educational and research centers and promotion of ophthalmic technologies were important achievements in the field of vision health in Iran. Through these achievements, it seemed that the pattern of causes of blindness and low vision was similar to that of the developed countries. However, the review of Iranians' vision health indicators showed that a considerable percent of the blindness and low vision was avoidable through a national program demanding 3 types of interventions in social determinants of health (SDH), community education, and increasing the access to health care services by integrating the necessary services in primary health care system.

CONCLUSION

Managing the issue requires attentions from a national committee for preventing blindness with participation of all stakeholders, implementing a national survey on vision health, preparation of the primary level health centers including employment and education of community health workers (Behvarzes), optometrists and general practitioners, fair distribution of specialized human resources and establishing at least one specialized center in each province for referring patients from the primary levels.

Prevalence Refractive Errors among Medical Students of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

OBJECTIVE:

To study the prevalence of various errors of refraction among the medical students studying at the college of medicine, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS:

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at Qassim University clinics over a period of two months. The study population comprised 162 male and female students from different academic years. The students were selected randomly so that around 35-40 students were taken from each academic class. The selected study population was explained the objectives of the study and a written consent form that stated the purpose, methods, risks, benefits, and the assurance of the confidentiality of the data was obtained from each student. After giving the consent, each subject was examined by auto refractometer. The examination was carried out by an optometrist without using cycloplegia. Both right and left eyes were thoroughly examined by auto refractometer and on the average three readings of the refraction measurements were taken. The readings were recorded on a data sheet of every individual, and the Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

RESULTS:

One hundred and sixty-two (162) students with a mean age of 22.44 years, Std 1.661 and a range of 8 (19-27) were included in the study. Of the total number, 111 (68.51%) were males and remaining 51 (31.48%) were females. Of the total sample, only 1 (0.617%) student had diabetes mellitus, and 6 (3.70%) students gave a history of previous ocular surgery. Myopia was found to be the commonest error of refraction 53.7% with hyperopia next to it.

CONCLUSION:

Myopia is found to be a common error of refraction in young adults. A regular checkup is essential to timely correct the error and to prevent deterioration of the vision.

Health Seeking Behavior among Rural Left-Behind Children: Evidence from Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces in China

More than 60 million children in rural China are “left-behind”—both parents live and work far from their rural homes and leave their children behind. This paper explores differences in how left-behind and non-left-behind children seek health remediation in China’s vast but understudied rural areas. This study examines this question in the context of a program to provide vision health care to myopic rural students. The data come from a randomized controlled trial of 13,100 students in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces in China. The results show that without a subsidy, uptake of health care services is low, even if individuals are provided with evidence of a potential problem (an eyeglasses prescription). Uptake rises two to three times when this information is paired with a subsidy voucher redeemable for a free pair of prescription eyeglasses. In fact, left-behind children who receive an eyeglasses voucher are not only more likely to redeem it, but also more likely to use the eyeglasses both in the short term and long term. In other words, in terms of uptake of care and compliance with treatment, the voucher program benefitted left-behind students more than non-left-behind students. The results provide a scientific understanding of differential impacts for guiding effective implementation of health policy to all groups in need in developing countries.