#PROJECT#DAP TABLE TALK
Topic: Visual impairment: Causes, Prevention and Treatment.
Guest: Ibrahim Moses,Lid Surgeon,Hafsat Eye Centre, Kebbi State.
#PROJECT#DAP: As a medical expert, when will you say that a person is blind?
Mr.Moses: There are categories of blindness namely: social, economic and legal blindness. But when a person is said to be blind, he cannot perceive light. For instance, if you light a torch at a person’s eyes and he or she cannot see, such person is said to be blind.
#PROJECT#DAP: Will it be medically accurate to say that someone who can only read with the use of glasses is visually impaired?
Mr.Moses: Normal vision is 6/60 to 6/18. If a person can see within this range with the aid of eye lenses, such a person is said to have normal vision and is not impaired visually.
#PROJECT#DAP: Are they precautionary measures a person can take to prevent loss of sight?
Mr.Moses: Before I answer that, let me say that they are families with a history of visual impairments. It is important that people from such families go for regular eye check-ups. Individual should always take their eye issues to professionals. They must avoid any form of self medication.
#PROJECT#DAP: Are they specific kinds of eye defects that indigenes of Kebbi State suffer from?
Mr.Moses: Cases of cataract, glaucoma, conjunctivitis and pterigion are the most common eye problems indigenes here face.
#PROJECT#DAP: Are eye defects more common in males or females?
Mr.Moses: For Trachoma, it is more common in women and children. Then for cataract and glaucoma, both genders share similar proportions.
#PROJECT#DAP: Why is that?
Mr. Moses : It is so because women are closer to children. When a child eye discharges, a woman uses her wrapper to clean the child and use the same wrapper to clean her own eyes and even that of her other children. This is how the disease spread in some families.
#PROJECT#DAP: What are the symptoms visible of an eye that is unhealthy?
Mr. Moses: When you notice discharges from your eye, tearing, sandy sensation, swollenness and redness, they are signs that your eyes may be having some issues. Medical attention must be sought to prevent irreparable damages.
#PROJECT#DAP: Does every eye defect require a surgical operation?
Mr.Moses: Visual impairment is either preventable or curable. The preventable are refractive errors and trachoma. Trachoma can be prevented by simply been hygienic. It is prevalent in villages where there are no toilets and portable water. Cataract and glaucoma are cases that require surgical operation. Even at that, this operation is not a difficult one. The only time you may feel pain is when you are injected with anaesthesia. After that, the operation can be conducted without you necessarily feeling pain.
#PROJECT#DAP: Many motorcycle riders and women who fry akara(beans cake) in this area are exposed to sunlight and heat from fire; what are the medical implications of this ?
Mr.Moses: Motorcycle riders who ply their trade without protective glasses expose themselves to dangers. Anything can enter into your eye and cause severe problems. For women who fry akara, exposing yourself to the heat from the fire for long hours can result in pterigion. That is why many elderly women in the state suffer from pterigion because most of them engage in this trade.
#PROJECT#DAP: Are there safeguards that traders in this line of business can adopt?
Mr.Moses: We advise them to use protective glasses to prevent sunrays and excessive heat from fire.
#PROJECT#DAP: Research have shown that some eye defects are birth related. What steps should a pregnant woman take to lessen the chances of giving birth to a child with visual impairment?
Mr. Moses: Pregnant women should always go for antennal care. They have to pay proper attention to their dieting. If a pregnant woman is malnourished, she can develop diseases that can cause her to give birth to a child with bilateral cataract. Drug abuse doesn’t alone affect the woman but also her unborn child. Drugs should only be taken on the prescription of professionals.
#PROJECT#DAP: Can an eye defect in a new born baby be detected shortly after birth?
Mr. Moses: Yes. If a child is born and a torch light is directed at his eyes and the eye does not follow the direction of the light, that child can be said to have an eye defect. Same applies when you try to touch an infant’s eyeballs and he doesn’t blink. Immediate medical attention can prevent further problems.
#PROJECT#DAP: What is your advice to parents with children with disabilities and the children themselves?
Mr. Moses: Parents with children with disabilities should not be frustrated. Disability is not the end of the world. Parents should encourage their wards to get the best of education. They should invest in the education of their children even if they are visually impairement or any other form of disability. They are numerous opportunities such children can take hold if they are educated. Persons with disabilities should not be discouraged because of their disability. If you rise up to the challenge, you will conquer.
#PROJECT#DAP: Thank you for being with us.
Mr.Moses: It’s my pleasure!
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