Prevalence of Refractive Errors #What we do and how you can help

Refractive error or Ametropia occurs when light from infinity thus 6 meters and above is brought to focus in the eye at any point aside the retina, the part that receives images and transduce them into electrical impulses for interpretation by the brain. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) uncorrected refractive errors are a major cause of blindness and visual impairment and the leading cause of amblyopia in children. According to a study conducted by the WHO on World Sight Day 2006 it was revealed that an estimated 153 million people are visually impaired due to uncorrected refractive error at distance, out of this, 8 million people are blind. An estimated 45 million working adults and 13 million children around the globe are adversely affected by refractive errors out which 90% live in low and middle income countries.

Presbyopia does not fall under refractive errors as it is a physiological process however it is known to cause visual impairment in 517 million people above the age of 45 years. Uncorrected refractive errors affect both sexes, all age groups as well as all race of people. Refractive errors have led to lots of individuals losing their jobs, poor academic performance in school, low productivity at the workplace and even impaired life in extreme cases. Meanwhile the treatment for refractive errors is cost effective and very simple, in most cases a simple diagnosis followed by refraction with the administration of an appropriate pair of spectacles is enough to provide an immediate solution to the problem. In rare and extreme cases surgical intervention may be required. Visual Impairment is the most treatable cause of visual impairment.

It is thus a great tragedy that millions of individuals in the developing world especially are visually impaired due to lack of access to basic eye care and eyecare service and inadequate funds. @bettervision saw this need to bring eyecare to the people without access and to provide free basic eyecare and eyecare services for those without the funds and so since enrolling on the steem blockchain with the backing of fundition we have been able to conduct over 20 outreaches delivery free healthcare service and spectacles to individuals who are in need of them. For us to continue to do this goodwill we required the backing and support of steemians and the good people out there, anyway you would like to support would be deeply appreciated. To all who have seen us come this far and continue to do more, we say Ayekoo, thank you very much for the love and may the good Lord richly bless y’all.

What is @bettervision about?

@bettervision is is a project initiated by @nattybongo and friends to give back to the society the knowledge and skill acquired through the Optometric Studies in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.It is an outreach system where we visit the less privileged communities to offer free eye screening services and education to the people within the community

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To reduce or prevent vision loss through diseases such as glaucoma, cataract and refractive errors.

To enlighten the majority of the Ghanaian population about the importance of proper visual care.

To conscientize people on the need for regular eye checks

To get more people to have their wards screened within the Critical periods of a Child’s Vision Development; thus from ages 3 to till about 10 years.

To help the blind and people with low vision live a better life within the society through education of the general public to stop stigmatization.

To help in the fight of extreme poverty that puts the health of people at risk

Our greatest gratitude goes to @fundition @adollaraday @surfyogi @girlsfoundation @bleepcoin @ackza @indigoocean @nanzo-scoop @steemstem @demotruk @pennsif @steem-ambassador @kasho and @wafrica for helping to make the aims and objectives of @bettervision a reality.

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