Turning tide on child blindness
A programme that is giving hope to children who cannot see is making a difference in KZN. Liz Clarke spoke to Ntombenhle Mkhize, who is committed to making the campaign work. She is this week’s LeadSA Hero
REFERRAL doctors knew the telltale signs all too well. A young mother was describing her 10-month-old baby’s accident-prone behaviour. He is very shy, she told staff at a local clinic. He cries if he is not near me and doesn’t want to engage with other children. When he crawls, he often bumps his head on objects in his path. He is not a happy little boy. He does not smile.
Doctors believed there was only one deduction to be made. Further examination showed that the baby had impaired vision and was unable to see the objects around him or recognise facial features.
Well-versed in this challenging scenario is 29-year-old Ntombenhle Mkhize. She has made it her life’s work to learn all there is to know about childhood blindness and what can be done to turn the tide on what has been called a “sightimpaired epidemic”.
It’s a prognosis, she points out, that is all too familiar in KwaZulu-Natal, the province with one of the highest incidences of childhood blindness in the country.
“But what many people don’t know,” she says, “is that 80 percent of all visual impairment Orbis is a global non-profit organisation working in some of the world’s most under-served areas to deliver sight by strengthening local eye care institutions, training staff, introducing ophthalmic technology, advocating for supportive policies and increasing public awareness about eye health. Worldwide, 39 million people are blind and without effective intervention this will rise to 76 million by 2020.
Orbis Africa trains doctors, nurses and community members to identify symptoms of blindness as early as possible to ensure that children have the can be avoided or cured.”
Growing up in the small rural suburb of Mariannhill, near Pinetown, Ntombenhle, or Ntombi as she is known to her family and colleagues, says that, from childhood, it has always been her passion to work for the community, raising awareness on a number of challenging issues, including blindness. “When I left school I wanted to do something that would make a difference to people’s lives at grass-roots level, because I knew that is where the real need is.”
The opportunity came when she was offered a project managerial post with Orbis Africa,
an best possible chance of being helped.
The organisation works with medical staff at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and Grey’s Hospital in KwaZuluNatal to identify training and education needs.
Thereafter, Orbis works with their New York office to identify ophthalmologists and optometrists to put together a schedule for hospital-based programmes, where Volunteer Faculty (VF) travel to South Africa to train local staff in their own environment
Visit their website at www.orbis.org.za affiliate to an international non-profit organisation, Orbis, whose mission is to eliminate preventable blindness around the world.
“In our communities – and I remember this from when I was young – there is very little known about eye health,” she explains.
“As a result we take our sight for granted, never thinking there could be a time when we can no longer see things. Especially in children, it is something we simply don’t expect.”
Although health care facilities exist throughout the province, not everyone, she says, knows about them or can access the services.
“That is where people like me can hopefully make a difference,” says Ntombi, who is responsible for the running of the South African programme in KZN.
“When you can help families get the advice and care they need and there is a good outcome, nothing can beat that.
“The impact and joy when a child with infantile cataracts, for example, is able to see the world around him for the first time, learns to play and interact with other children – it is heart- WE ARE looking for nominations for our LeadSA Hero and Youth Hero of the Week.
The youth hero has to be under the age of 21.
A hero is a person who goes that extra mile to improve the quality of life of people in his or her community.
If you know someone who qualifies, e-mail tribuneleadsa warming. No amount of money can buy those amazing moments.”
Orbis Africa’s KZN project is run in partnership with the KZN Department of Health. There are also Orbis Africa programmes in Zambia, Cameroon, Ghana and Ethiopia.
She says her work is filled with “many memorable moments”.
“The one that stands out for me is the little guy I met before surgery. He was very shy, clinging to his mother, and seemed scared and unhappy. A few weeks later, I saw a completely different child. He was playing with the other kids in the clinic, shouting and laughing – a very happy 5-year-old.
“When I spoke to the mother, she said that after surgery her son literally came alive, playing with other kids. She said it was like a miracle. Her son had no more trouble reading in school, all thanks to the removal of the cataracts that were covering his eyes.
Ntombi says that making a difference in people’s lives every day “no matter how small” is very inspirational.
Change, she believes, starts within us, in our homes, with our neighbours, in our communities.
“Sometimes we need to be the change we wish to see.”
Parent involvement, she says, is an important part of the Orbis campaign.
“Early detection plays a major role in eliminating avoidable blindness. It is up to parents, carers and the community at large to identify symptoms and seek help as early as possible.
“If you think there’s something wrong with someone’s eyes, encourage them to visit their clinic for diagnosis.
“We rely on the community to be the eyes and ears in the fight against avoidable blindness and visual impairment.”
lizclarke4@gmail.com
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