Integrated, people-centred eye care: Why South Africa needs to prioritise scaling up refractive services

摘要

Vision is our most dominant sense and plays a critical role in every facet of our lives.[1] People often take vision for granted, yet without it one would struggle to learn to walk, read, participate in school activities or perform certain kinds of work.[1] The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health[2] defines eye health as maximised vision, ocular health, and functional ability that contributes to overall health and wellbeing, social inclusion and quality of life. Refractive services are focused on maximising vision, and are known to improve quality of life.[1] However, these services have been a neglected component of South Africa (SA)’s healthcare delivery system. Millions of South Africans affected by refractive error cannot even access a basic pair of spectacles required to see clearly. The reality is that refractive error is a major, yet unnecessary, cause of visual impairment globally, and if adequately addressed, more than half the world’s visually impaired people could achieve good vision and improved quality of life.[2] While this may sound simplistic, refractive error remains a major public eye health challenge for many countries in the developing world, including SA.