Concerned experts on eyes care have asked the government to implement a prevention of blindness program (PBP) in conjunction with the observance of World Sight Day this month.
The PBP is a comprehensive eye and visual program of the DOH designed to reduce visual impairment by ensuring equitable access to quality eye care services. World Sight Day is held annually to focus attention on the global issue of eye health.
“We can all come together in helping people living with visual impairment or visual problems by ensuring that the PBP has adequate funding, especially for outpatient services, and consistently implemented at the national level and across the different local government units,” said Dr. Diana Edralin, general manager of Roche Philippines and president of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines.
In the Philippines, according to the Philippine Eye Disease Study by the Philippine Eye Research Institute, more than two million Filipinos had visual impairments as of 2018.
Dr. Jubaida Aquino, a vitreo-retina specialist at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City and East Avenue Medical Center where the DOH Eye Center is located, said it is important that everyone gets screened for eye problems.
“According to the DOH, 80 percent of blindness is avoidable. But in 2011 there were an estimated 600,000 blind persons in the Philippines, and about half of them went blind because of cataracts,” she said.
As of 2018, more than one million Filipinos were found to have cataracts– the top cause of visual impairment in the country. The second cause is error of refraction.
“What is more worrisome is that among the people covered by the 2018 eye study, many who did not have visual impairments were found to have glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy – diseases that could lead to blindness,” Dr. Jubaida said.
“This is why it is so important to have vision screening early on, and followed by the corresponding treatment.”
In the Philippines, the National Vision Screening Act was signed into law in 2019, establishing a vision screening program, under the Department of Education for kindergarten school children.
Meanwhile, there is a gap especially in the knowledge around conditions of the retina. “We are working to find treatment for this and to collaborate with other stakeholders – the government, patients,
hospitals – to advance the science and improve care,” according to Dr. Edralin.
The goal is to address eye diseases at an earlier stage or at least stop the disease from progressing to a point where it becomes a burden for patients and their families. “Early detection, stopping the progression or even reversing the disease would be ideal,” she said.
“We don’t need pity; we need equal opportunity,” said Cyrille Anne Cabana, 24, a patient leader who founded a group called Aniridia Philippines. Aniridia refers to partial or complete absence of the iris, the colored part of the eyes.
Cabana, from Bacoor City in Cavite, was diagnosed with aniridia when she was four months old. Her vision has deteriorated over the years.
“I hope institutions like workplaces and schools would stop discrimination and simply comply with existing laws on disabilities. Accept blind people based on their potential and skills.”
“Blindness is never a hindrance to success,” she said.