Eyes on the future – have your vision tested

TODAY is World Sight Day, which focuses global attention on the prevention of vision impairment and blindness.

This year’s theme – ‘Eyes On The Future. Fighting Vision Impairment In Later Life’ – recognises that in a world where populations are aging, and individuals are living much longer, blindness from chronic conditions is also on the increase.Worldwide, 45 million people are blind, most of whom are over 50.In three-quarters of these cases, sight loss resulted from preventable or treatable causes such as cataracts, trachoma, refractive error, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.Cataracts are the world’s greatest cause of blindness, yet cataracts are curable and one of the most cost-effective of all health intervention if caught in time.Therefore, regular eye tests for older people are essential to preserve or restore sight.Trachoma is endemic to 55 countries, of which Namibia is one.It is a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and it is the commonest infectious cause of blindness.Children who have the active stages of the disease are the reservoir of infection, while blindness, which occurs after repeated episodes of infection, mostly affects adults.Trachoma is a condition of poverty affecting communities who have poor water supply, sanitation and poor health services.The bacteria are transmitted from person to person through direct and indirect contact and through flies.Blindness can be prevented by surgery to correct the in-turning of the upper eyelid.The strategy to reduce the infection and the transmission of the disease is known as SAFE – surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental change.All optometrists registered with the Namibian Optometric Association have programmes in place to supply affordable and acceptable spectacles to the public.People must be made aware of the importance of regular eye tests.Fighting Vision Impairment In Later Life’ – recognises that in a world where populations are aging, and individuals are living much longer, blindness from chronic conditions is also on the increase.Worldwide, 45 million people are blind, most of whom are over 50.In three-quarters of these cases, sight loss resulted from preventable or treatable causes such as cataracts, trachoma, refractive error, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.Cataracts are the world’s greatest cause of blindness, yet cataracts are curable and one of the most cost-effective of all health intervention if caught in time.Therefore, regular eye tests for older people are essential to preserve or restore sight.Trachoma is endemic to 55 countries, of which Namibia is one.It is a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and it is the commonest infectious cause of blindness.Children who have the active stages of the disease are the reservoir of infection, while blindness, which occurs after repeated episodes of infection, mostly affects adults.Trachoma is a condition of poverty affecting communities who have poor water supply, sanitation and poor health services.The bacteria are transmitted from person to person through direct and indirect contact and through flies.Blindness can be prevented by surgery to correct the in-turning of the upper eyelid.The strategy to reduce the infection and the transmission of the disease is known as SAFE – surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental change.All optometrists registered with the Namibian Optometric Association have programmes in place to supply affordable and acceptable spectacles to the public.People must be made aware of the importance of regular eye tests.