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Community Ophthalmology

Keeping a mission to offer the modern eye care services at the lowest rate to the marginalized and the poor people in the community, Dr. Tony’s Super-specialty Eye Institute is actively engaged in the community eye care programmes at different parts of Kerala. One of the main objectives of the community outreach programmes of the hospital is to avail the eye care services to every section in the community and also to promote the eye health education programme among them. The outreach programmes also have a big objective of reducing preventable blindness in the society.

Community outreach programmes are the integral part of the day today activities of Dr. Tony’s Superspeciality Eye Institute. Inspired and motivated by the words of our chairman Padmasree Dr. S Tony Fernandez, that “no person should be deprived of any essential eye care services due to his poor economic conditions or because of the inability to access the services”, the community out-reach department of the hospital is actively engaged in availing the eye care services at the lowest cost to the poor sections in the community. The main objectives of our outreach programmes are to eradicate the avoidable or needless blindness in the society, to promote the eye health education in the society, to create awareness about the modern eye care services and its scope, to introduce the services and facilities of our hospital and also to promote the interpersonal and leadership skills of the staff.

Types of Outreach Programmes conducted by our hospital

1.Comprehensive Eye Camp:-

Comprehensive eye camps are the major outreach programmes of our hospital. The comprehensive eye camps are the integrated out-patient treatment services offered to the people. These camps are conducted to a population around 250 and the camp team includes ophthalmologists, refractionists, ophthalmic assistants, counselors, and other supporting staff. The patients in such camps go through several steps in the same manner as they are supposed to go through an out patient service in a hospital for evaluation and treatment. The different steps in the eye camps are given below.

Step 1. Patient Registration :- All those who attend the camp should be registered before the vision testing. The patients will be given a camp prescription form which they have to keep until counselling. The camp organizers should assign volunteers to do the registration of the patients in the camp.

Step2. Preliminary vision testing:- All the patients who registered in the camp have to undergo primary vision screening done by ophthalmic assistants and refractionists trainees. The primary vision screening will be performed by using vision charts such as E-charts and Snellen charts. The intra-ocular pressure will be measured by using non-contact tonometer and the auto-refraction will be done by using auto-refractometer.

Step 3. Refraction:- Refraction is performed on patients who exhibit refractive errors, presbyopia, out-dated glasses or aphakia. The refraction is done through the help of trail lens set , ophthalmoscope and retinoscope by refractionists.

Step 4. Final Examination:- The ophthalmic surgeons in the camp will evaluate the clinical findings from the refraction and will examine the patients in the camp. The surgeons will diagnose the condition of the patient and will prescribe the right treatment at the camp. According to the availability of the medicines, the patients will be given free medicines from the camp as the surgeon prescribes. Those who are required detailed examination and surgery will be forwarded to the counselor in the camp.

Step 5. Counseling: - Patients advised for surgery are motivated by the counselor to undergo the surgery at the base hospital. The counselor will explain the procedures and other related matters of the surgery to the patients, and will try to alleviate the anxieties and tensions of the patients over the surgery and its follow-ups. All those who are referred to hospital detailed examination will be given free consultation in the base hospital between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm. The cataract cases referred to hospital will be given surgery at free of cost in the hospital.

2.School Screening Programmes:-

The school screening programmes are conducted to find out the refractive errors and other disorders related to the eyes among the school children. Primary vision screening will be done by the team lead by refractionists and those who are found with refractive errors or any other disturbances related to eyes are referred to hospital for detailed examination and treatment. Those who are referred to our hospital will be given free consultation at our hospital. The major objective of the school screening programme is to find-out the refractive errors and other eye disorders among the school children and to let them to take treatment at the right time in order to avoid the needless blindness. The school screening programmes has also an objective of promoting the eye health education among the children.

3.Pre-school Screening:-

The pre-school eye screening is done to find-out the refractive errors and other eye disorders among the children below five years. The screening is done by the help of ‘Kay Picture Charts’ in order to easily le them response and communicate. The pre school screenings are done at kindergartens, Anganwadies, Play schools, and at Crèches.

4.Refraction Camps:-
The refraction camps are done to find out the refractive errors, presbyopia and out-dated glasses or aphakia among the people. The refractionists will refract the patients with auto-refractometer, ophthalmoscope, and with trail lens sets. The spectacle prescription will be given to those who have the refractive errors and people who require detailed examination will be referred to hospital for treatment.

5.Glaucoma Detection Camps:-

Glaucoma detection camps are done to find-out the people with high intra-ocular pressure and to advise them the right treatment at the earliest possible time. Non-contact tonometer is used to find out the Ocular pressure of the patients and the patients will also be refracted to find-out the other symptoms of glaucoma. As in other camps the patients with high intra-ocular pressure and the other symptoms of glaucoma will be referred to the hospital for early treatment. The glaucoma detection camps are conducted for people above forty years and people in the specified category will only be screened in the camps.

6.Diabetic Retinopathy Camps:-

The diabetic retinopathy camp are conducted to find out the diabetic retinopathy cases among the people. Patients will be dilated and will be examined in the camps by the ophthalmologists and those who are found with the diabetic retinopathy symptoms are referred to hospital for treatment. The diabetic retinopathy camps are conducted only for diabetic patients above 35 years old. The patients who are referred from the retinopathy screening camps will be given treatment at a discounted rate from the base hospital.

7.Training Programme for Community Eye Health Volunteers:-

As an step to promote the eye health of the community, the community outreach department also conducts various training programmes for the volunteers in the community. The objectives of the eye health training programmes are to promote the eye health education among the community and to raise the participation and the involvement of the local community. The community eye health volunteers will be given training and they will be equipped with vision screening materials in order to conduct the vision screening. In addition with promoting the eye health education, the volunteers will also do the vision screening and they will advise the people to take the early treatment once the people are found with any symptoms.

Online Camp Registration Form for Camp Organisers