Prevention of Blindness/ Primary Eye Care

In many of the communities in which HKI works, the most basic eye care is rendered by non-ophthalmologists. This care includes screening and treatment of infections (such as conjunctivitis or pink eye) and inflammations, and in some cases, performing cataract surgery. Non-ophthalmic general health workers can be trained to promote measures to prevent trachoma (such as face washing and proper hygiene) and xerophthalmia or nutritional blindness (such as consumption of vitamin A) at the village level. Primary eye care also includes the provision of refractive error services, or providing prescriptions for eyeglasses.

As a member of the VISION 2020 Right to Sight initiative, which aims to eradicate preventable blindness by 2020, HKI supports the promotion of eye care health and health education at the community level, the integration of primary eye care into primary health care services at the district level, and the provision of primary eye care (identifying and treating minor eye ailments) or referral of problem cases throughout developing countries.  Prevention of blindness programs include immunization campaigns and mass eye camps (to provide surgeries) as well as the promotion of preventative policies (such as public eye health screenings) at the local and national level.   

HKI currently provides primary eye care programs in Cambodia, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.  For example, in Indonesia’s Aceh region, which was greatly impacted by the 2004 earthquake and resulting Tsunami, HKI provided critical primary eye care support, with a focus on refractive error.  Eye care services and capacity building programs were provided by HKI in schools and camps for internally displaced children and adults.  The services included refractive error identification, refraction services and provision of eyeglasses for those who needed them.  Additional services included capacity building for local eye care providers, the provision of needed equipment and supplies for diagnosis, surgery, and /or rehabilitation, and referral service through local partners for those identified to need further ophthalmology diagnosis surgery and follow-up. 

To learn more about our prevention of blindness programs, please use the navigation on the left to visit our cataract, refractive error (ChildSight®) and trachoma pages.