'Hope in Sight': Global attention on blindness
Novartis Healthcare Philippines partners with International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to address eye screening gaps in the country
According to the IAPB, over 75 percent of visual impairment cases are avoidable
In celebration of World Sight Day (WSD),
Novartis Healthcare Philippines and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) launched the multi-stakeholder “Collaboration to Preserve Sight” to address eye screening gaps in the country.
Initiated by the IAPB, WSD is an annual day of awareness that focuses global attention on blindness and vision impairment.
It is the most important advocacy and communications day in the eye health calendar. This year’s WSD theme is “Hope in Sight.”
According to the IAPB, 253 million people around the world are visually impaired — 36 million are blind while 217 million have moderate/ severe visual impairment (MSVI). More than a billion people cannot see well because they don’t have access to glasses. Over 75 percent of visual impairment cases are avoidable.
For the past 10 years, Novartis Global has been running a program called the Excellence in Ophthalmology Vision Award (XOVA). XOVA gives grants to medical specialists who have devised initiatives that are expected to have significant impact on unmet needs in the fields of ophthalmology and optometry.
“Novartis is privileged to collaborate with the IAPB and our other partners to provide eye screening and education in eye care and raise awareness on the massive unmet needs in eye health,” said Jugo Tsumura, president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
“We thank Novartis and their partners for their commitment to help address blindness and vision impairment in the Philippines. The recent World Health Assembly resolution for eye health, marks the next major milestone for global eye health. With political commitment to take action to make eye care an integral part of Universal Health Coverage and to implement ‘integrated people-centered eye care’, there is Hope in Sight,” said Amanda Davis, chairperson, IAPB Western Pacific.
“We laud this multi-stakeholder partnership to address eye screening gaps in the country and realize the Philippines’ commitment to the Global Elimination of Avoidable Blindness: Vision 2020, The Right to Sight. We look forward to working closely with our partners to make vision screening an integral part of Healthy Homes, Schools and Workplaces towards Healthy Pilipinas 2040 and ensure the best possible vision for all people and thereby improve quality of life,” said Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director of Health Promotion Bureau, Department of Health. “Through the Collaboration to Preserve Sight, we aim to sustain our support for the National Vision Screening Program,” said Dr. Leo Cubillan, director of Philippine Eye Research Institute.
“Our program will implement a home vision screening campaign encouraging families to detect simple eye problems at home, and be referred to provincial eye centers for further diagnosis and treatment in Tarlac, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Antique, Negros Oriental and Surigao del Norte,” said Mardi Mapa-Suplido, country manager of The Fred Hollows Foundation.
“Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes and a major cause of blindness among working adults. The Mulat Mata Diabetic Retinopathy Project aims to set up a comprehensive diabetic retinopathy program consisting of awareness campaigns and education, diabetic retinopathy screening, and data gathering. We will pilot the program at the community level particularly in the province of Bulacan, which we hope to replicate in the other provinces, and eventually at the national level.” Marie Joan Loy, president of Vitreo-Retina the Philippines, revealed. “We are privileged to support the Collaboration to Preserve Sight through the development and rollout of a National Eye Health Communications Strategy Plan, the replication of the home vision screening program in a further 10 provinces, and the pilot of an online vision screening program for kindergarten students,” said Dr. Noel Chua, chairman of the National Committee for Sight Preservation (NCSP), a national coalition of organizations. “Workers should maintain proper distance of at least 20 inches away from the computer monitor. Position the monitor so that the top line of the screen is at or below eye level, and is perpendicular to the window. These are just some of the steps employers and employees can take to promote eye health in the workplace,” said Dr.
Ma. Margarita Lat-Luna, president of the
Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology.
PARTICIPANTS during the 2020 World Sight
Day virtual media briefing performing the cover test to encourage the general public to have regular eye exams: 1. Jugo Tsumura, president and managing director, Novartis Healthcare Philippines; 2. Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director, Health Promotion Bureau, Department of Health; 3. Dr. Leo Cubillan, director, Philippine Eye Research Institute; 4. Amanda Davis chairperson, IAPB Western Pacific; 5. Mardi Mapa-Suplido, country manager, The Fred Hollows Foundation; 6. Dr. Ma. Margarita Lat-Luna, president of the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology; 7. Dr. Marie Joan Loy, president, Vitreo-Retina Society of the Philippines; 8. Dr. Noel Chua, chairman, National Committee for Sight Preservation (NCSP); 9. Dr. Peter Paul Ronque, medical adviser, Novartis Medical Affairs–Ophthalmology; and 10. Christine Fajardo, Asia Cluster Patient Advocacy head and Country Corporate Affairs head, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.