In line with the requirements on Action Plan for Three-level Eye Care Network by Tongzhou Health and Family Planning Commission, the ophthalmologist Xue Chunping and Yang Yali with Tongzhou Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine (THICWM) went to Xiji Health Center on 26~27th, Nov offering volunteer diagnosis for 130-plus visually disabled patients from 30 villages within Xiji Town, which aimed to enhancing eye disease prevention and treatment capacity in Tongzhou District, building sound three-level eye care network, advancing hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and raising the eye care awareness of citizen in Tongzhou.
There appeared long line of queue at charity clinics spot. The hospital ophthalmologists made the fundus and slit-lamp examination for villages’ elders with daily eyesight lower than 0.3. On the part of the patients suffering from cataract and glaucoma, they came up with specific treatment suggestions and expounded on the treatment process details. In addition, they earnestly explained the common eye disease symptoms and precautions for the audience at spot.
In the course of the campaign, the ophthalmologists were impressed by the visually disabled elders’ yearn for bright. The elders’ functions were in the decline as a result of aging, and the elders were found to suffer from frequent eye diseases. Some patients weren’t willing to see doctor when suffering from eye disease due to economic reason, but they preferred to buy some medicine in the local drugstore. Some couldn’t see the doctor as a result of long distance or disability in action. Others thought eye disease was minor, opting for enduring for long. The delayed treatment for elders suffering from cataract, glaucoma and keratitis could be frequently found, which might lead to blindness and other irretrievable consequence.
The Three-Level Eye Care Network is one important step for comprehensive launch of blindness prevention. Fully screen the visually disabled patients via mutual cooperation in between hospital alliance, transfer the patients to higher level hospital according to their eye disease severity, which could effectively bring down the morbidity and blindness ratio for eye disease, benefiting the people in the district.
