Tibet
Bringing eye care to poor and remote areas of Tibet. Photo Nicola Bailey
The Tibet Autonomous Region of China (TAR) high in the Himalayas has an enormous backlog of patients requiring cataract surgery
Overview
The Fred Hollows Foundation has been supporting the work of Nepal’s Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO) in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China since 2007.
An estimated 27,600 people are blind in the TAR and of those 51% are cataract blind. We have been helping the TIO reduce the enormous backlog of patients requiring cataract surgery, and build the skills and capacity of local medical staff.
There are many barriers that prevent people with cataract blindness from seeking help in the Tibet Autonomous Region, including lack of education and awareness about eye health, poor services and/or inaccessibility to the services that are available.
The Foundation supports the TIO’s outreach clinics that bring eye health care to the poorest and most remote parts of this mountainous region.
Achievements: 2010
Working together with our partners, The Foundation:
- supported renowned Nepalese ophthalmologist Dr Sanduk Ruit and a small team from TIO to travel to Tibet to work with a local hospital to perform 93 cataract surgeries
- provided small incision cataract surgery training (SICS) at TIO for 1 doctor
- conducted equipment maintenance training for a technician from Lhasa Institute of Eye Care at TIO
- conducted refraction training in Lhasa for 7 nurses including its practical application in fieldwork
- conducted an in-country outreach microsurgical eye clinic (OMEC) and supervised new eye doctors/nurses in remote locations.
About the program
With funding and support from The Foundation, the Outreach Microsurgical Eye Clinics (OMECs) conducted by Nepal’s Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology play an important role in serving the poorest people in the most remote and underserved areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
OMECs help to reduce the enormous backlog of cataract cases and provide on-the-ground training opportunities for local eye doctors and staff.
Training also takes place at the Lhasa Institute of Eye Care (LIEC). Capacity building activities include training doctors and nurses in theatre procedure, patient flow and care, and training technicians in the maintenance of ophthalmic equipment.
Facts and figures
| Number of blind people | 27,600 |
| National blindness prevalence | 0.9% |
| Main causes of blindness | cataract (51% of blind population), macular degeneration (16%) and corneal opacity (10%) |
| Percent of blindness that could be treated or prevented | 75% |
| Prevalence of cataract in people aged 50+ years | 14% |
| ataract surgical coverage for people aged 50+ years | 56% (70% for men, 47% for women) |
| Population | 2.87 million |
| Urban population | 22.6% |
| Life expectancy | 65.6 |
| Literacy rate | 54.4% |
Sources:Blindness and eye diseases in Tibet: findings from a randomized, population based survey. Dunzhu, Wang, Courtright et al. Br J Ophthalmol 2003;87:1443-1448 and Cataract surgical coverage and outcome in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Bassett, Noertjojo, Liu et al. Br J Ophthalmol 2005;89:5-9.
Help keep Fred’s dream alive.
3 out of 4 people who are blind in the developing world don't need to be. Routine treatment costing as little as $25 can restore sight and hope.
Make a Donation
Call us: 1800 352 352
Showing 0 of 0 comments