PROYECTO VISIÓN

To significantly improve the ocular health of the inhabitants of the region of Tigray in Ethiopia. Proyecto Visión wants to give back their vision to the reversible blind and to prevent avoidable blindness with three types of actions.

HEALTH CARE ACTIVITIES

  At. St.Louise Eye Clinic in Mekelle (Clinic of the Daughters of Charity religious order) Proyecto Visión visits a great number of patients and performs surgery on those patients with eye problems, especially cataracts at this is the most important pathology of avoidable blindness and because our action results in a blind person immediately recovering his or her eyesight.To this end Proyecto Visión organizes 6 or 8 surgical fields a year in order to operate patients with cataracts, including implanting intraocular lenses. Approximately 900 to 1000 operations are performed every year.Proyecto Visión also provides equipment and surgical material to Quiha Hospital. This hospital is the only one in this region with ophthalmologic assistance. Its director Dr.Tilahun is also director of the School of Ophthalmology founded by Proyecto Visión

 TEACHING ACTIVITIES:Training of specialized nurses

Project Vision,  in collaboration with the Regional Health Bureau of Tigray has set up a course of studies for the American Medical Ophthalmic Assistance, (OMÁ) degree. These are studies specializing in ophthalmology lasting for  an entire year and are followed by those nurses who have already graduated and have been selected for these further studies.

Proyecto Visión finances the totality of the studies and the upkeep and accommodation of the students, as well as that of  teachers from several Ethiopian universities who collaborate in this project.

 In order to provide suitable accommodation for the ten students who each year follow these studies and  their teachers, Proyecto Visión has built a school -.residence close to the Hospital of Quiha.

 46 students have graduated to date and another ten have already begun their studies. Proyecto Visión is always keeping an eye on the evolution in the field of teaching and is  constantly in touch with the teachers not only with a view of checking the extent to which knowledge has been gained but also so as to know the degree of satisfaction of the students and of any deficiencies which might be improved (see opinion poll)

 Once they have their degree, these OMAs are able to take care of  the most common ophthalmological problems and to operate on patients with trachoma. Proyecto Visión also organizes teaching events in Barcelona. A course is organized each year, “Ophthalmology in Developing Countries “ in the context of the activities of the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. The main ocular diseases in these countries are studied in this course which is of interest to those doctors and nurses who are willing to travel to these places. Also to those who continue with their usual activity and are coming across these other pathologies with increasing frequency (courses)

 In agreement with the Regional Health Bureau , OMÁs are sent to different heath centers throughout  Tigray. Proyecto Vision provides them with books and surgical equipment to enable them to carry out their activities, and also provides a small incentive to encourage them to stay at their appointed  place of work. 

TRAINING OF CATARACT SURGEONS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MEKELLE

Those OMAs who have been chosen will follow the first cataract surgeon training course starting this year. This new degree has been determined due to the lack of ophthalmologists : two local ophthalmologists for 4 million inhabitants.

  ERADICATION OF TRACOMA

What is Tracoma?

Trachoma is a disease of the conjunctiva and cornea that causes the inflammation and formation of follicles or nodules in the internal part of the superior eyelid. When these follicles break, they produce scars that cause inward contraction of the upper eyelid.

This produces the permanent rubbing of the eyelashes by the cornea, causing the cornea to become ulcerous  and repeatedly infected until it turns into a white scar ( corneal leucoma). The process is worsened by the lack of water and the bad hygienic conditions.

Epidemiology

In order to know the incidence of the disease Proyecto Visión carried out an epidemiological survey which reported on the situation. This paper was published in the magazine Ophthalmic Epidemiology  journal (pdf)

Region where the action takes place.

Action is centered in the district of Wukro, along the lines of the World Health Organisation health policy and in agreement with the Regional Health Bureau of Tigray.

 COOPERATION WITH WHO (World Health Organisation)

SAFE  program

WHO has initiated a program to fight against avoidable blindness. The  20/20 Global Vision program  aims to eradicate all these diseases by 2020.

 Trachoma is one of the avoidable diseases and for this reason the SAFE program has been developed. The necessary antibiotics are produced by Pfizer, who provides them free of charge  for this campaign.

Proyecto  Visión has chosen a district of Tigray (Wukro) having  the invaluable assistance provided by Fr. Angel Olaran (White Father) whose work in that area is immensely useful. The SAFE program for the eradication of trachoma   is implemented in this district, following the WHO rulings and in agreement with the Government of Tigray program

COOPERATION WITH THE CATHOLIC SECRETARYSHIP OF ADIGRAT

 NEW PROJECT FOR RURAL ACCESS and

 POTABLE WATER SUPPLYING (Power Point)

Proyecto Visión Sur (Andalusia) team has developed a new project jointly with the Catholic Secretariat of Adigrat.

This Secretariat offered its assistance for the improvement of the access to an area  where drinking water wells could be constructed to provide water to towns  which presently offer no hygiene conditions or access to water.

This it is a matter of the utmost importance to us as it favors our trachoma eradication project we have been especially interested in studying and it in depth.

The Proyecto Visión Sur team has obtained a subvention from the Junta de Andalucía (Government of Andalusia) so that it is  possible for the project to continue and has built a 16 Km rural road and three wells.

Proyecto Visión ophthalmologists conduct  clinical research activities, within the bounds of the  possibilities which are available. Their conclusions have been subsequently presented as posters at several specialized congresses.(posters).
 

Building a Hospital in Quiha

Project sustainability is one of the essential conditions for projects carried out in developing countries.

In 2006, Right to Sight, an organization which is close to the World Health Organization which is promoting several projects in 8 African countries came to Mekelle. When RTS saw our installations and our activity they considered it was the suitable place for the development of  ophthalmology. 

.RTS also believed that if the projects would continue to be developed as in the past it would become a reference centre for Africa.

Following the model of Aravind (aravind.com), a great organization fighting against blindness in developing countries, Proyecto Visión , Right to Sight and the Tigray Health Bureau decided to sign an agreement.

  Following our lines of action we decided to increase our activity at St.Louise Eye Clinic in an effort to increase our activities there in several ways:

a- By improving  the diagnosis methods following the purchase of a Yag Laser.

b- By increasing the  participation of our teams in the surgery performed at  Quiha , by operating patients with strabismus which is a pathology which is of great social importance.

c- By incorporating St.Louise Eye Clinic into our teaching activities, with the collaboration of Spanish doctors for the training of the new cataract surgeons.

d- By taking the most suitable OMAs and training them to become cataract surgeons.

It was decided to attach a Hospital to the School of Ophthalmology where Cataract Surgeons and OMAs would be able to carry out their training. This hospital would have a sufficient number of operating theatres so that activity could be trebled.

.By means of a public-private management it is intended to make both the School and the Hospital sustainable. The School will have students from other countries who will pay a registration fee for their studies) and the Hospital will operate on private patients who will be paying for the surgery provided free of charge.

Proyecto Visión cannot support an organizational and administration structure such as the one which has been described but we can continue supporting the School in training OMAs and Cataract Surgeons.

By building the hospital we are putting the cornerstone for the development of ophthalmology in Tigray and neighbouring areas.

The agreement reached with Right to Sight makes the system sustainable.

In this way we consolidate for the future the task carried out in these past 14 years , it also allows us the possibility of other actions done in greater depth  regarding the treatment of eye diseases and to be able to take eye care to far away places.