Integrating child eye health within primary health care: a case study

摘要

Few children have access to specialised eye care in Tanzania. However, ten simple activities have been shown to reduce the risk of childhood blindness and eye disease dramatically. By teaching these to primary health workers in Tanzania, thousands of babies now have a better chance of having healthy eyes.The control of blindness in children is a priority of VISION 2020, a global initiative with the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by the year 2020. Many of the causes of visual loss in children in low- and middle-income countries are preventable; the most common of which are vitamin A deficiency, measles, conjunctivitis of the newborn and the use of harmful traditional remedies. Other causes of blindness, such as cataract, are treatable.1.