Prevention of eye diseases: Actively promote, prevent and treat

– Our ancestors have a saying “rich in two eyes, poor in two hands” to express the importance of eyes to each person’s life. Therefore, in recent years, all levels and functional sectors in the province have implemented many practical measures to help people detect and treat eye diseases early, limit blindness, and bring light to patients.

Staff of Cao Loc District Medical Center examine and screen eye diseases for patients in Huu Lung district.

According to medical experts, some common eye diseases such as cataracts (accounting for 66.1%), fundus diseases, glaucoma, corneal scars, refractive errors... often lead to vision loss and blindness (occurring at all ages, mostly in people over 50 years old), causing major and long-term effects on all aspects of life, including: daily personal activities, interaction with the community and work opportunities and access to public services.

Raising public awareness

In today's life, there are more and more factors affecting the eyes such as: dust, inappropriate lifestyle, overuse of electronic devices... In addition, with climate change, living environment, unsafe working environment increases eye diseases. For school-age children, placing books, computer screens too close, lack of light, or unreasonable lighting arrangement in the study place... causes the risk of eye diseases, even rare accidents due to playing, accidentally injuring the eyes. However, loss of vision, blindness due to trauma, infection (accounting for 10%) is often addressed early, while symptoms such as: blurred vision, pain, reduced or lost central vision or inability to see far, see clearly... are easily overlooked.

With the motto "Prevention is better than cure" and the determination to reduce blindness and eliminate blindness due to preventable causes, the Department of Health has coordinated with the Provincial Association of the Elderly and the Provincial Red Cross to implement communication, healtheducation , and guide people on knowledge about blindness due to cataracts in the community, providing information and knowledge to the community to prevent and combat eye diseases, especially diseases that can cause blindness and can be prevented and cured such as cataracts, dry eyes due to vitamin A deficiency, retina, diabetes, refractive errors, etc. Thereby, increasing people's access to prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation of eye function. In particular, through the program "Bright eyes for the elderly", community screening, etc., many cases of eye diseases have been detected, consulted and treated promptly. Mr. Nong Ngoc Tang, Head of the Provincial Elderly Association Representative Board, said: The elderly are often affected by eye diseases leading to blindness, so in recent years, the Provincial Elderly Association Representative Board has actively coordinated with central and provincial hospitals and commune, ward and town health stations in the area to implement the program "Bright eyes for the elderly". The program's main activities are: examination, consultation and surgery for eye diseases for the elderly. From 2018 to present, on average, each year from 5,500 to 6,000 elderly people have had eye examinations and about 500 to 700 people have had eye surgery.

With the meaning of the above program, it has contributed to reducing the burden of eye diseases, bringing light to many elderly people so that they can always live happily, healthily, and usefully, as well as increasing people's access to prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation of eye function. Mr. Nguyen Trung Thuyen, 76 years old, Mai Pha commune, Lang Son city shared: Before, my eyes were very poor, it was difficult to walk, and I often had to rely on my children and grandchildren. Through the program "Bright eyes for the elderly", on April 21, 2023, I was examined and diagnosed with cataracts and was scheduled for surgery at DND Bac Giang International Eye Hospital. After surgery, my eyes were clearer, brighter, I could read books, newspapers, and do daily tasks. Along with paying with health insurance card and being a participant in the program, the total cost of cataract surgery was reduced by 60%, helping my family save significantly on costs.

Along with that, students are also the subjects that often suffer from eye diseases that reduce vision, with the risk of blindness. Therefore, in recent years, the Department of Education and Training has directed educational institutions to propagate, educate, provide health and school disease counseling and improve the capacity of teachers and school health workers in early detection and prevention of eye diseases for students and coordinate with medical facilities to screen for eye diseases. Thereby, on average each year, schools detect about 5,000 students with eye diseases, notify parents and families to take timely measures...

Perfecting the eye care medical network

Mr. Ly Kim Soi, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said: In order to prevent and combat blindness in the community, in recent years, the Department of Health has focused on strengthening and perfecting the eye care network in the province. Every year, it has restored sight to hundreds of blind people and prevented blindness for thousands of children through campaigns to prevent and combat xerophthalmia due to vitamin A deficiency and trachoma. To date, these diseases have been almost controlled throughout the province.

To increase people's access to preventive services, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation of eye function, and reduce the risk of blindness, the Provincial Steering Committee for Blindness Prevention and Control is regularly improved and maintained. The medical network for blindness prevention and control in the province continues to be strengthened with 1 provincial unit (Provincial General Hospital) investing in machinery and equipment for examination and surgery of eye diseases. At 11/11 district and city medical centers, specialized doctors are also trained to examine, treat and care for eyes, capable of meeting the examination and investigation activities; examining and treating common eye diseases. Currently, 200/200 commune, ward and town health stations are also capable of providing eye care services according to their functions, tasks and scope of professional techniques such as primary eye care, identification of eye diseases, vision measurement, etc.

In particular, at the Provincial General Hospital and Cao Loc District Medical Center, modern medical examination and treatment equipment has been invested in and the medical staff is regularly trained to improve their professional skills, performing many advanced surgical techniques to bring light to the blind and treat eye diseases. A typical example is the Phaco cataract surgery technique (using sound wave energy to crush and separate the cloudy lens into small pieces, then suck it out and replace it with an artificial lens) which is quick, convenient, safe for patients, reducing the number of patients being transferred to other facilities.

Doctor Chu Dinh Que, Director of Cao Loc District Medical Center said: After receiving more human resources and facilities, we continue to cooperate with the Provincial General Hospital and Hanoi Eye Hospital... to train and improve the quality of examination and treatment of eye diseases. From 2018 to now, the center has examined more than 12,650 people, performed eye surgery for more than 4,100 patients in Cao Loc district and the districts: Huu Lung, Bac Son, Van Quan, Dinh Lap...

It is known that from 2018 to now, the whole province has had more than 66,500 people examined and consulted about eye diseases, including more than 6,900 surgeries (more than 3,000 cataract surgeries using the Phaco method) at medical facilities in the area. Mr. Ha Van Tuyen, 50 years old, Minh Tien commune, Huu Lung district said: Before, my eyes often hurt and blurred, making it difficult to work and do daily activities. In April 2023, I went to the Huu Lung District Medical Center for an eye examination. After the examination, the doctor diagnosed me with cataracts and prescribed surgery. After 3 days of treatment and surgery using the Phaco method, my health has stabilized, my eyesight is clearer, I can live and work normally, and I do not have to rely on help from relatives like before.

With the efforts of all levels and sectors, especially the health sector, in recent years, people in the province have become more aware of eye diseases, have the opportunity to access preventive services, early detection, treatment and eye rehabilitation, and strengthen the control of blindness such as cataracts, dry eyes due to vitamin A deficiency in children, retina, diabetes, refractive errors, etc., contributing to the successful implementation of the National Strategy on Prevention and Control of Blindness by 2020, vision 2030.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are approximately 314 million blind and low vision people in the world who need annual eye examinations, of which an estimated 45 million are blind. Notably, every 5 seconds, 1 person becomes blind and every 1 minute, 1 child becomes blind. 90% of blind people live in poor and developing countries with difficult access to health services.

According to statistics from the Central Eye Hospital, in Vietnam, over 80% of blindness can be prevented and cured. The main causes of blindness are cataracts (accounting for 66.1%) and eye diseases, glaucoma, corneal scars, refractive errors, etc.

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