Transcript Trachoma and Presbyopia

2 Eye Diseases I Hope You
Never Experience (and 1 You
Probably Will)
Trachoma, Onchocerciasis,
and Presbyopia
Which are you almost
guaranteed to be afflicted by?
Trachoma, Onchocerciasis,
and Presbyopia
Which are you almost
guaranteed to be afflicted by?
Trachoma, Onchocerciasis,
and Presbyopia
Which are you almost
guaranteed to be afflicted by?
Trachoma, Onchocerciasis,
and Presbyopia
Which are you almost
guaranteed to be afflicted by?
SightFirst Initiatives
Project for Elimination of Avoidable Childhood
Blindness
– 35 centers around the world to deliver care to 100
million kids
Lions Eye Health Program
– Community-based education program in the US and
industrialized countries
River Blindness/Trachoma Control
SightFirst China Action Project
– Over 5 million cataract surgeries performed in rural
China and Tibet
Since 1980, SightFirst has:
Awarded $232.5 million for 956 projects in 100 countries
Provided 7.6 million cataract surgeries
Prevented serious vision loss for 30 million
Improved eye care services for hundreds of millions
Provided 131 million treatments for river blindness
Built or expanded 300 eye hospitals/clinics/wards
Upgraded 372 eye centers with equipment
Provided management training for 115 facilities
Trained 345,000 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, other
professional eye care workers and village health workers
Launched world's first-ever initiative to combat childhood
blindness in partnership with the World Health Organization.
The 35 pediatric eye care centers established or
strengthened have impacted the lives of 100 million children
Trachoma, Onchocerciasis,
and Presbyopia
Which are Lions helping to
eradicate?
Trachoma
Is the leading cause of blindness from
infection in the world today
84 million people WW are infected (WHO)
8 million are visually impaired
Caused by Chlamydia trachomatis
bacteria
Primarily affects the world’s poor where
hygiene and environmental factors
proliferate the bacteria
How Does it Spread?
A bacterial infection that spreads among
children and to their caregivers
Environment makes repeated infection
likely
Disease causes discharge from the eye
that easily infects others through incidental
contact
What Does Trachoma Do?
Initially causes
conjunctivitis with
redness, swelling
With repeated reinfection, causes
eyelid scarring and
corneal damage
Ultimately causes the
eyelashes to turn
inward and severely
damage the cornea
How is Trachoma Treated?
Very Easily! (if caught
early enough)
A single dose of
Zithromax (donated by
Pfizer) wipes out the
infection
Surgery is needed to
reconstruct the eyelid in
advanced Trachoma
Severe corneal damage =
permanent vision loss
How is Trachoma Prevented?
Treat the active cases
with antibiotic
Face washing to
reduce disease
transmission
Environmental
changes to increase
access to clean water
and improved
sanitation
What Lions Are Doing To Help
Eradicate Trachoma?
Partnership with the Carter Center, Pfizer,
WHO, and others to treat and educate
A comprehensive plan to eliminate the
disease by 2020 has been created
In 2008, the 10 millionth dose of Zithromax
was distributed
Projects in Ethiopia alone have received
more than $7 million in funding
Onchocerciasis (River Blindness)
Is the 2nd leading cause
of blindness from
infection in the world
today
18 million are infected
300,000 are blind from
the disease
Caused by parasitic worm
transmitted by bite from
black fly
Worm can live for 15
years in the human body
What Does River Blindness Do?
How Is It Treated/Prevented?
A single annual dose of a drug
manufactured and donated by Merck
called Mectizan
What Lions Are Doing To Help
Eradicate River Blindness?
Partnership with the Carter Center to treat
and educate
Supported more than 114 million
treatments in Africa and Latin America
Work in 12 countries
Eradication targeted in Latin America by
2010
Why Can’t I Read the Paper
Anymore?
What Causes Presbyopia?
One Option…
Photo by Ben Ward, Flickr
Multi-focal Lens
RestorTM lens – Alcon Labs
Accommodating lens
CrystalensTM – B&L
Thank You!