Mobile1000 Eye
India is home to the world's largest number of blind people. Of the 37 million people across the globe who are blind, over 15 million are from India. What's worse, 75% of these are cases of avoidable blindness, thanks to the country's acute shortage of optometrists and donated eyes for the treatment of corneal blindness. While India needs 40,000 optometrists, it has only 8,000.
On the other hand, while India needs 2.5 lakh donated eyes every year, the country's 109 eye banks (five in Delhi) manage to collect a maximum of just 25,000 eyes, 30% of which can't be used.
India has 12,000 ophthalmologists who have no time to conduct blindness-preventing surgeries because they are flooded with general eye check-up of patients.
153 million people in the country require reading glasses but do not have access to them. Optometrists are eye physicians concerned with vision care, eye diseases and prescribe eyeglasses, contact lenses and medications to treat eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist specialises in surgical care of the eyes. India has just 20 optometry schools which produce just 1,000 optometrists annually as against the 17 million people being added to the population during the same period. There is a shortage of faculty as well. There are also no regulatory laws to control the practice of optometry even though refractive error is one of the leading causes of blindness. There is, therefore, no recognition, making Indian optometrists migrate to foreign shores. Optometry is among one of the best 10 professions in US and UK. Of the 15 million blind people in India, three million, 26% of whom are children, suffer due to corneal disorders. But only 10,000 corneal transplants are being done every year due to the shortage of donated eyes.
NEED FOR EYE CARE:
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Preventive eye care and examination has a lot more to it than just vision correction. You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye doctor and having a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure of this.
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There are many diseases having no symptoms, regular eye exams are the only way to catch those silent diseases in their early stages, when they're more easily treated.
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Many common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration are often asymptomatic in the early stages. A dilated eye exam is the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages, especially because once the symptoms set in, the effects on vision are often irreversible.
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Comprehensive eye exams allows the eye doctor to look directly at retinal blood vessels, thereby revealing potential warning signs of serious health problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, even before the symptoms show up anywhere else in the body. In fact, examining the retinal blood vessels provides a real time report card of how these diseases are affecting blood vessels throughout the body.
EYE EXAMINATION WOULD INCLUDE:
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Visual acuity test
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Examination of outer part of eye: This test requires the use of an instrument called Slit Lamp bio microscope. It provides a magnified view of the anterior part of the eye: namely the conjunctiva, cornea, lens and the anterior chamber
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Examination of inner part of eye: This test is also performed on the slit lamp with specialized lenses. Additionally, your doctor may use a handheld instrument called the ophthalmoscope. The procedure is non invasive and does not hurt at all.
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Measuring the pressures of eyes: This test uses an instrument called a Tonometer that measures the pressure inside eye. Patients with a family history of glaucoma in particular should be screened regularly with this because they are at an increased risk for this potentially blinding disease.
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Assessment of color vision: This test is done to screen defects in color vision. Color deficiency affects the color of the things you see but not your vision. This is also hereditary in nature. Your doctor uses a colour chart called the Ishihara Chart to screen for this disease
4 PILLARS OF IMPLEMENTATION
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Hardware
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Software
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Track & Trace
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Community
HARDWARE:
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Tata Winger / Force Traveller Brand Van.
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PIS - Patient Information System.
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Diagnostics:
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Torch
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Magnifying Glass
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Cotton swabs, bandage, gloves, masks, hand-sanitizer etc.
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Autorefractometer
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Slit lamp
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Opthalmoscope
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Retinoscope
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Tonomete
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Medicines:
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Multi-vitamins
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Nutritional Supplements
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Mydriatic Eye Drops
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Eyeshields
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Antibiotics Eye Drops
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SOFTWARE (Manpower):
MANPOWER = Optometrist + Social Protection Officer + Driver + Head office back-up
TRACK & TRACE:
Track & Trace is implemented through Innovative Embedded System (GPS). Track & Trace is a revolutionary method to deliver healthcare to rural India with results.
The Track & Trace mechanism implemented through, Embedded Innovative Services (GPS) enables real-time tracking of the MMU’s as each MMU van is fitted with GPRS. Wockhardt Foundation generates a unique Username and Password for tracking the MMUs. Through this, both the Partner (Donor) representatives and the Wockhardt Foundation team can see the actual position of the MMUs.
Besides knowing the actual position of the MMU at any point of time, the Partner can also find out whether the MMU is operational or non- operational due on a daily basis.
The Track & Trace mechanism helps in active monitoring the MMU’s. It also helps bring in transparency in the monitoring process.
COMMUNITY:
MISSION -“To win the hearts of the rural community through professional healthcare delivery”
The presence of person from within the community gives the MMU programme a competitive advantage in terms of outreach and mobilization of communities. Not only does it help mobilize the more people but it also helps expand outreach of the programme.
Beneficiaries
1 Van = approximately cater to 15,000 Patients annually
Cost per patient per van = Rs.180/-
Cost per spectacle = Rs.150/-
Project duration = 12 months at each location
Donations towards Mobile 1000 programme will receive 50% tax exemption u/s 80G
CONTACT DETAILS:
DENIS VARGHESE
Director
Wockhardt Foundation
Mob: +919167374716
Email: dvarghese@wockhardtfoundation.org