Strengthening retina eye care services in Nepal: retina eye care of Nepal project
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(2020) 20:986
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Strengthening retina eye care services in Nepal: retina eye care of Nepal project Arjun Shrestha1* , Chunu Shrestha2, Pratap Karki3, Hara Maya Gurung4 and Takeshi Naito5
Abstract Background: Retinal diseases are very difficult to treat. So, early diagnoses and preventions are very important. But, few eye doctors can treat patients with retinal diseases in Nepal. Retina Eye Care of Nepal (RECON) project was designed to strengthen retina eye care services in Nepal. Methods: RECON was implemented from May 2016 to February 2019 in Nepal. Four Master Eye Doctors (MED) received Training of Trainers (TOT) from Tokushima University, Japan. MEDs developed training materials for different cadres of ophthalmic human resources, enhanced retina eye care facilities, and conducted retina-screening camp in Nepal. Results: Twenty ophthalmologists, 16 optometrists, 48 ophthalmic assistants and 17 ophthalmic nurses, 76 physicians and 28 health workers were trained in retina care. Eight outreach retina camps were conducted. Conclusions: The project was a novel approach to strengthen retina services in Nepal. The aim of the project was accomplished with the ultimate benefits to the needy retina patients who otherwise were going to miss the retina services. Keywords: Retina eye care, Nepal, Strengthening
Background Recently causes of blindness are changing in Nepal. The number of people blind due to retinal diseases is increasing. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), hypertensive retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion are the major retinal problems in Nepal. As the prevalence of vitreoretinal disorders is increasing with age, it indicates that retinal disorders will be a major public health issue with longevity in future [1]. A rapid assessment of blindness conducted in 2010 had reported posterior segment problems as the second common cause of blindness, after cataract in Nepal [2]. Retinal diseases are very difficult to treat. Results from lowincome countries show that many patients present only when they lose vision in both eyes. Delay in presentation was acknowledged as a significant problem and is often * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 BP Eye Foundation, Hospital for Children, Eye, ENT & Rehabilitaion Services, Bhaktapur, Nepal Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
due to inadequate primary eye care and to misdiagnosis. Thus, it was highlighted that all ophthalmologists should be trained to recognize and manage retina problems. As blindness from DR is preventable, if caught and treated early, DR provides an excellent opportunity for secondary prevention strategies, such as screenings [3]. So, early diagnoses and preventions are very important. The projected population of Province 3 and 4 in Nepal were 60, 26,626, and 24, 72,494 respectively in the year 2016 [4, 5]. There are altogether 6 tertiary retina care centers in Province 3 and 1 tertiary retina center in province 4 of Nepal to cover that much of the population
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