It combines years of experience from AbbVie, the IAPB and Sightsavers and addresses the challenges of glaucoma, a condition that can slowly and painlessly cause permanent vision loss. It is one of the world’s leading causes of blindness.
Many people become blind from glaucoma before they even know they have it. By the time their sight has started to deteriorate, their optic nerve may already be so damaged that nothing can be done. We want to make sure more people can be screened and provided with the vital treatment in time.
Keep Sight launched in India in October 2019 in partnership with Sankara Eye Hospital, and the first outreach camp took place in December 2019 for World Disability Day. In February 2020, the official launch event helped to awareness about the initiative and the importance of eye testing.
In countries where resources, training or health infrastructures are lacking, healthcare professionals often struggle to help those most at risk. Keep Sight started in two countries where glaucoma treatment is most needed:
Over time, our aim is to scale up the pilot projects so that we can replicate this work across other areas and countries.
The project aims to help both countries protect the sight of as many people as possible by raising awareness, carrying out eye screenings, training health workers and providing treatment. Although glaucoma is incurable, it can be controlled with medication or surgery, and this is vital to help avoid unnecessary suffering.
Since October 2019, the project has already screened more than 20,000 people for the condition.
Sightsavers is at the 100% Optical conference in London on 24-26 February, to raise awareness about avoidable blindness and invite eye health professionals to help protect sight worldwide.
Zahra is one of the many children now thriving thanks to a Sightsavers programme to screen school students for eye conditions and health problems.
Sightsavers’ Hortance Manjo shares insights from the event in Zambia, which highlighted eye health for the first time.