Community outreach program educates health workers, population alike

A blindness prevention program in Brazil that uses public health workers to screen for and refer patients with eye disease has increased the demand for eye care services among the poor in the area, according to a report in Community Eye Health.

The program, implemented in Manaus County, reaches patients through the public health system and trains family practitioners and community health workers to identify those at risk for vision loss and refer them to ophthalmologists based at the clinic, according to Paulo Roberto de Magalhães Silva.

Obstacles such as distance, culture, costs and a lack of information are more easily bypassed using this system, Mr. Silva noted. Between 2000 and 2003, more than 15,000 patients were seen at the ophthalmology service, and the centers are expected to conduct 8,640 consultations in 2004, he said.

During the 2000-2003 period, 80% of the consultations were for refractive errors, and conjunctivitis, eyelid problems, cataract and glaucoma were also leading causes.

Because demand for ophthalmic services has continually increased since the start of the program, Mr. Silva suggested the program may be worthwhile in other areas of the country as well as in other countries.