Vision care in areas of under-developed infrastructure
Abstract
Aim
Provision of vision care to patients in areas of under-developed infrastructure.
Subjects
Provision of vision care should include determining the prescription and the immediate supply of spectacles. There should be a repair facility. The examination and provision of the glasses should be possible in unfavorable conditions and at a reasonable price. The labour needed, and the related education required, plus the production of materials should encourage a home-grown service. This will lead to the establishment of a professional service.
Results
Although some NGOs are setting up self-sustaining services, in many cases help provided from the outside fails to create an immediate and continuing solution for the patient’s needs. This article shows the need for treatment, as described in the literature, a brief discussion of services being provided and a proposal for improvement in facilitating the examination, production and the development of optometric care.
Conclusion
The proposed system will require field research to verify the claims made and the viability of implementing it in the specific environment. If the proposed system is proven to be reliable, and financially viable, an industry can be created for the indigenous supply of vision care at a suitable cost to the patient.
Keywords
Vision disorders Primary care Health services Under-developed infrastructureNotes
Acknowledgements
I thank my two students, Gidon Shapiro and Rotem Don; Dr. David Crosby, co-founder with Joshua Silver of The Centre for Vision, for his assistance and time; and Arold Kanen, Focus on Vision, who has been helpful in providing information. I also thank Dr. Liat Ganz of Hadassah College, Jerusalem, for her help with the statistical analyses. I thank my wife, Ruthie, for editing and being patient.
Financial declaration
At present there is no financial interest.
Compliance with ethical standards
Ethical statement
No funding was received. There is no conflict of interest. There is, at present, no financial interest.
Conflict of interest
No conflict of interest.
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