The World Health Organization through the Global Initiative 2020 calls for "elimination of visual impairment due to refractive error and low vision." The first three strategies to reach this goal are to: 1) create awareness and demand for refractive services through community-based services, specifically primary eye care and school screening; 2) develop accessible refractive services for individuals with significant refractive errors; and 3) ensure that optical services provide affordable spectacles. InFOCUS has developed a program model, the Vision Station, to increase access to vision care for indigent families in the United States and to establish village-based primary eye care in developing countries. Vision Stations in Texas at churches, clinics and social service centers serving the poor utilize InFOCUS-trained eye health promoters who assess vision needs, provide eye health education, refer patients to eye doctors for exams, and if eyeglasses are prescribed, dispense appropriate eyeglasses from an on-site dispensary. Proceeds of spectacle sales help defray the cost of the program. In developing countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, Mali and India, on-site staff are trained to provide a basic exam, including an assessment of eye health, following protocols and criteria for treatment or referral of eye disease. Proceeds from the sale of affordable spectacles supports the cost of these programs, as well. The use of new and appropriate technololgy, for example, the FOCOMETER; quality, but low cost eyeglasses, for example Eye Deal Instant Eyeglasses, and local partnerships to control endemic eye and systemic diseases are also features of international Vision Stations.
Learning Objectives: After completion of this presentation, participants will be able to identify an alternative modality for primary eye care, both for indigent populations in the USA and for communities in developing countries where primary eye care is not available.
Keywords: Access to Health Care, International Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.