The month of April is dedicated to blindness awareness and prevention, and eye health care. April Marrom’s campaign calls attention to eye health care. According to the American Health Organization (PAHO), blindness and visual impairment can be avoided in about 80% of cases.

“Blindness can be considered reversible, as in the case of cataracts, or irreversible, as in the case of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, retinal detachment, age-related macular degeneration, and genetic diseases,” explains the head of the ophthalmological service. from the hospital. De Pace, Vivian de Oliveira Pereira.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), blindness and visual impairment can be avoided in about 80% of cases.

The specialist at the Hospital de Besse, in whose outpatient ophthalmological clinic 8,454 consultations were carried out from January to September 2022, indicates the need for periodic ophthalmological assessments. “The best way to prevent blindness, whether irreversible or reversible, is to have regular ophthalmologic evaluations, in order to identify any change early,” emphasizes Vivian.

The doctor also explains that the progression of some eye diseases can be prevented. “It is possible to prevent cataracts, for example, from progressing to the point of causing blindness,” the ophthalmologist explained. There are some ways to prevent vision loss, such as identifying increased intraocular pressure, preventing glaucoma, and making appropriate diagnosis and treatment of lesions that lead to retinal detachment.

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Vivian highlights the importance of the campaign: “It is a warning about the need for periodic ophthalmological assessments, in order to avoid possible causes of blindness or early diagnosis of certain diseases, and to reduce visual impairment.”

Rodrigo Conte, Director of Healthcare at the Institute for Strategic Health Management in DF (IgesDF), stresses “the importance of public health policies and social awareness. In addition, many eye diseases are treatable and manageable, especially if diagnosed early. The Foundation has shared IgesDF in joint efforts, in partnership with the Department of Health, aims exclusively at eye health, both in prevention and diagnosis and in performing surgeries such as cataracts, for example.

*With information from the DF Institute for Strategic Health Management (IgesDF)

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