BLINDNESS PREVENTION THROUGH SCREENING FOR DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND GLAUCOMA IN RURAL POPULATION – A NOVEL APPROACH

Background: Rapid Survey by Government of India (2006-07) estimated the prevalence of blindness as 1% and 0.95% in India and Maharashtra respectively. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is seen in 3.5% of all and 18% of diabetic cases above 40 years of age. Glaucoma is also one of the potentially blinding diseases that affect 11.2 million persons aged 40 years and above in India Objectives: of the project were to build the capacity of General Practitioners (GPs) & Female Health Volunteers (FHVs) for early detection & referral of diabetics cases from the rural area ,to establish an effective referral linkage between trained GPs, FHVs & Pravara hospital for further evaluation and treatment at referral center. Results: During the project period, 6860 individuals were screened by GP,FHV and the specialists. Out of the screened population , 486 cases (7.08%) were diagnosed and treated for glaucoma. Among 5176 individuals screened for DR, 453 cases (8.75%) were diagnosed and treated. Conclusion: Blindness due to DR and glaucoma can be reduced by organizing screening programmes at village level with the help of trained health volunteers and paramedical workers . Early detection ,timely referral to higher centers and specialized treatment can prevent the long term morbidity due to blindness and would improve the quality of life.