Prevention programme saves sight of over 50,000 people
Published: 12:13 pm Jun 29, 2023
KATHMANDU, JUNE 28
Himalayan Cataract Project Cureblindness has announced a new milestone in the prevention of corneal blindness. Through the training of community health workers in Nepal and India by SightLife International, now a part of HCP Cureblindness, more than 50,000 men, women and children with corneal blindness in these countries have been successfully treated.
'The programme screens and provides first aid care to patients with corneal abrasions, essentially becoming the community's first responders,' said K-T Overbey, CEO of HCP Cureblindness. 'Untreated corneal abrasions often lead to irreversible blindness. This has filled a critical gap in the eye care system by providing early intervention and treatment that is cost-effective and accessible in rural communities.'
This proven solution could prevent nearly 1.5 million new cases of corneal blindness each year. More than 90 percent of the world's corneal blind live in low and middle-income regions of the world.
Unfortunately, many individuals cannot access care and therefore lose their sight, and often their independence and livelihood.
According to a press release circulated by Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, HCP Cureblindness has planned to expand the prevention programme by scaling in new and existing geographies, investing in technology and developing new curricula to prevent new cases of corneal blindness.
They will utilise their current partnerships to expand care to the countries where they are actively helping to eradicate needless blindness. The combined networks of HCP Cureblindness and SightLife number in the hundreds of committed partners and collaborators.
In March 2023, HCP Cureblindness acquired SightLife International to make a greater global impact on eye care.
Together, each organisation's respective expertise will have a substantial and long-term impact on the world's most underserved communities. Building on a shared commitment to training, while also combining HCP Cureblindness' deep expertise in specialised care delivery and infrastructure development with SightLife International's expertise in primary care and policy and advocacy, millions more will have access to critical eye care across Asia and Africa.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 29, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.