Cataract Blitz saves sight

Future looking brighter: A 49-year old patient from Mitchells Plain was one of 40 patients who received the gift of sight during Eyecare Awareness Week at Eersterivier Hospital. Dr. David Steven, Head Ophthalmologist said that about 40 operations are performed during the two-day Cataract Blitz. “Usually we see this number of patients per week, but with the help of Metropolitan Health Group, we are able to perform more operations in a shorter time,” he said. (Image: Tiana Lambert)

In a bid to support the upcoming international World Sight Day event on 9th October, as well as the national Eye Care Awareness Month (ECAM) campaign, which is held annually in October, the South African National Council for the Blind has coordinated numerous Cataract Blitzes across the country. Facilitated through the Bureau for the Prevention of Blindness, a division of Council, Eersterivier Hospital will host one such blitz on 6th October.

The event is generously sponsored by the Metropolitan Health Group (MHG), who is proud to partner with Council to promote eye health.

Says MHG Head of Corporate Affairs Kusile Mthunzi-Hairwadzi: “The gift of sight is precious. The Cataract Blitz is an important community initiative which will not only restore eyesight, but also improve quality of life. To the many eye specialists who give of their time and expertise for this event, we salute you.”

The blitz will see Eersterivier Hospital's Dr. Graeme Rogers and Dr. Steven David as well as Bureau's Sight Savers International team perform an expected 50 cataract operations to restore sight for patients who were screened in surrounding rural communities, where eye treatment facilities are often inaccessible. Without these sight-restoring operations, these 50 people, who are blinded by cataracts, would have lived with the visual impairment unnecessarily, hindering their economic independence as well as social inclusion.

The ECAM campaign aims to create awareness around - as well as to facilitate - the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness. As supporters of the campaign, it is Council's mission to co-ordinate and conduct various eye screenings and cataract surgeries for the duration of ECAM to put eye care services in the reach of needy , rural communities who have limited, if any, accessibility to eye health facilities.

Cataract, which is the most common cause of preventable blindness in South Africa, has left more than 160 000 people waiting for surgery in our country - and this number increases by 10 000 every year. Patients who qualify for the cataract surgery comprise those who had been selected at prior screening sessions. Separate screening and surgery days ensure that the maximum number of patients can be assisted. A cataract operation performed under local anaesthetics can be completed in around 30 minutes - an important 30 minutes that will secure the future years of sight for these patients.

For more information on the Eersterivier Cataract Blitz, contact Dr. Steven David on 083 361 9011.

For further information on ECAM and related events contact the South African National Council for the Blind on 012 452 3811.

Venues

Between the 6th - 10th October, the Bureau for the Prevention of Blindness will facilitate 6 Cataract Blitzes across the country in order to restore sight to an estimated 490 individuals. Besides the EersterivierHospital blitz in Eersterivier, Western Cape, other such blitzes will take place at the following hospitals for the ECAM campaign:

• Hermanus Hospital in Hermanus, Western Cape;
• Free State National Hospital in Bloemfontein, Free State;
• Nelson Mandela Hospital in Umtata, Eastern Cape;
• Port Elizabeth Hospital in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape and
• Taung Hospital in Taung, North West Province.