Over hundreds of millions of people around the world are suffering needlessly
from visual impairment, and the majority of them live in middle- and low-income
countries [1]. The most common eye diseases at a global level are refractive
errors (difficulty focussing light correctly onto the back on one’s eyes [2]),
cataract (cloudiness of the lens of the eye [3]), macular degeneration (damage
to the part of the eye responsible for central vision [4]), glaucoma (a group of
eye diseases that can cause vision loss by damaging the nerve from the eye
to the brain [5]), vitamin A deficiency and trachoma (eye infection caused by the
bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis [6]) [1].
The online course at Future Learn is aimed at eye care providers, with the goal to
equip them with the knowledge and appropriate mentality, to deliver an effective
and efficient eye care service for the prevention of avoidable blindness.
Having completed it myself, I felt that overall, it is a fun, interactive and
educational course, that uses a variety of teaching resources such as videos,
articles, mini-lectures and interviews. They even have interviews with experts in
the field which definitely made it all the more interesting! Quizzes are also
utilised throughout, to help consolidate your knowledge and to test your
understanding.
It was eye-opening to learn about the Gambia eye care programme - which
successfully reduced blindness in the country by 40% and more than 2000
people were saved from blindness! This fantastic programme became a model
for the global VISION 2020: The Right to Sight programme, which was my biggest
take home message from this course. VISION 2020 is a global initiative that
began in 1999, with the ultimate aim to eliminate avoidable blindness worldwide
by 2020 [7]. It targeted the world’s leading causes of avoidable visual
impairment (those named above and more) [7]. More recently, following on from
the World Health Assembly 2021, to address the two leading causes of blindness,
cataract and refractive errors, world health leaders have agreed on two new
global targets for 2030 [8]. I was pleased to learn that all countries have
committed to a 30% and 40% increase in effective coverage of cataract surgery
and refractive error respectively [8].
This course also covers the holistic approach needed to tackle the issue of global
inequality in eye health. For instance, it highlighted that we not only need to
consider financial resources, but also the capacity of the country to deliver a
wide scale programme, taking into consideration work force, skill set, and the
importance of human resource – which needs much more emphasise than
previously thought! Then after an initiative has begun, as healthcare providers
we must consider how to make services sustainable and how to monitor and
evaluate the programme continuously to make changes when required.
A lot of reflection and discussion took place during the span of this course and
you had the opportunity to network and speak to like-minded individuals from all
over the world, which sparked numerous intellectual conversations. This course
has allowed me to broaden my horizon and insight into the difficulties of
implementing healthcare changes at a global level.
In conclusion, the “Global Blindness: Planning and Managing Eye Care Services”
online course at Future Learn is a fantastic resource that I would recommend all
eyecare providers to explore. They also have other courses, both relating and
not relating to eye health that you can look into, and use it as an opportunity to
learn something new!
References:
1. Ono K, Hiratsuka Y, Murakami A. Global Inequality in Eye Health: Country-
Level Analysis From the Global Burden of Disease Study. American Public
Health Association. September 2010; 100(9): 1784-1788.
2. National Eye Institute. Refractive Errors. March 2022. Available at:
https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-
diseases/refractive-errors.
3. National Eye Institute. Cataracts. April 2022. Available at:
https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-
diseases/cataracts.
4. National Eye Institute. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. June 2021.
Available at: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-
conditions-and-diseases/age-related-macular-degeneration.
5. National Eye Institute. Glaucoma. April 2022. Available at:
https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-
diseases/glaucoma.
6. Turbert D. What is Trachoma? American Academy of Ophthalmology.
February 2022. Available at:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-trachoma.
7. Pizzarello L, Abiose A, Ffytche T, Duerksen R, Thulasiraj R, et al. VISION
2020: The Right to Sight, A Global Initiative to Eliminate Avoidable
Blindness. JAMA Ophthalmology. April 2004; 122: 616-620.
8. Crofts-Lawrence J, Aindow H. World Health Assembly: New Targets for a
New Decade on Eye Health. The International Agency for the Prevention of
Blindness. June 2021. Available at: https://www.iapb.org/blog/world-health-
assembly-new-targets-for-a-new-decade-on-eye-health/