World sight day 8 October 2009

World Sight Day (WSD) is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

Our eyes are one of our most precious senses. Imagine living life in the dark unable to see the beauty of the world surrounding you - or even the beloved faces of your family and friends. Imagine how you would feel if you slowly lose your eye sight and the world you see becomes more blurry every day that you open your eyes. Sadly this is the case for around 160 000 South Africans who are blind as a result of cataracts. What is worse is that cataracts are a worldwide phenomenon and could result in as many as 38 million individuals being rendered blind by cataracts by 2020 if left untreated.

This is made even more tragic by the fact that most cataracts can be successfully removed and the patient's vision restored, giving them back the colour in their lives. As part of the Government Employees Medical Scheme's (GEMS) ongoing effort to educate our members - and future members - on a range of healthcare topics, we would like to shed some light on cataracts as part of the awareness surrounding World Sight Day 2009.

The theme of this important day this year is: ‘Gender and Eye Health - equal access to care'. According to VISION 2020, the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness, nearly two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women and girls. This joint programme of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) deemed this theme necessary as, according to their statistics, men have twice the access to eye care as women in many places. Furthermore eight million people worldwide are blind due to uncorrected refractive errors - a simple sight test and glasses could restore sight to most of these people.

"Knowing the signs of eye sight failure and the development of cataracts can prompt you to seek help," says GEMS, South Africa's second largest medical scheme. "You do not necessarily have to live in the dark."

What is a cataract?

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness - yet it is curable by a simple, cost-effective operation.

A cataract is the clouding of the lens caused by a build up of protein inside the eye.  The effect is similar to that of looking through a matted glass: everything looks fuzzy and you will experience difficulty in reading. Characteristically, these changes start slowly and progress over months or years, which is why cataract sufferers are mostly elderly. 

What does a cataract operation involve?

A cataract operation is a relatively small operation that takes no more than 30 minutes. During the operation, small incisions are made and the cataractous lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens.

Patients do not even have to undergo anaesthetic as the patient is awake but relaxed and most patients do not feel any pain.

What can a patient expect after his or her operation?

The patient will need to return to the clinic the next day to have a check up in order to ensure that the operation was successful. Bandages will also be removed during this check up.

The patient will be given eye drops, which he or she needs to put into the eyes daily for a period of four weeks. After the healing process, the patients will most likely have to get their vision tested in order to determine whether they require spectacles or whether their current prescription glasses are still the correct strength.

The idea that a person's sight can be restored with a highly specialised, yet fairly simple, medical procedure in less than twenty-four hours is remarkable. "Losing your sight and then having it suddenly restored must rate as one of the most life-changing gifts of all," says GEMS.

Do not hesitate, cautions GEMS. "If you feel your eye sight deteriorating, visit your doctor as soon as possible. Do not become one of the approximately 314 million people worldwide who live with low vision and blindness - there is help at hand."

If you have any more questions on cataracts, you can phone the GEMS call centre on 0860 00 4367 or send a SMS to 083 450 4367. GEMS will assist you in every way possible to ensure your families health and well-being.