SOUTH ASIA
Tanzania
Where
The team of volunteer physicians and technicians traveled to the capital city of Dodoma and the northern city of Mwanza.
Tanzania has one ophthalmologist per every 1.6 million people with high rates of cataract and other vision impairments.
Solutions
Give Sight Global’s supports the Moran Eye Center’s efforts to create sustainable systems for high-volume, low-cost eye care in Tanzania.
In February of 2019, a team of physicians assessed operations and protocols in both Dodoma and Mwanza. The team made several recommendations to improve overall efficiencies for the staff so they can treat more people in less time. In some cases, patients have to travel great distances to the clinics, accompanied by a family member who has had to leave school or work. If the clinics are backed up, these patients often have to forego treatment because their caretaker cannot afford to wait.
Research
A team of ophthalmic specialists conducted a study on the prevalence of retinal diseases and associated risk factors in Mwanza.
These physicians assesed eye health needs in rural areas where it is difficult to know what eye diseases to address, how to support eye care specialists in these areas, and how to help improve infrastructure.
In Mwanza, the team gathered demographic and basic clinical data and tested visual acuity and intraocular pressure as well as gathering retinal images for 1,073 people. The results showed vitreoretinal disorders, including macular lesions, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinal vein occlusions, in 22.8% of the participants. They also correlated risk factors associated with vitreoretinal disease with factors such as lack of education and income.
Performed 1,420 eye exams
Performed 590 surgeries
Distributed over 800 pairs of readers
Distributed over 50 pairs of prescription eyeglasses
Provided training for six local physicians
Provided training for eight local nurses
Performed 1,420 eye exams
Performed 590 surgeries
Distributed over 800 pairs of readers
Distributed over 50 pairs of prescription eyeglasses
Provided training for six local physicians
Provided training for eight local nurses
