Refractive Error in Latin America

1
Refractive Error in Latin America
World Congress on Refractive Error and Service
Development 14th 16th March 2007 Durban

• Guillermo Carrillo, B. Optom, FIACLE
• Lima Peru
• South America

2
LATIN AMERICA CARIBBEAN
Source CEPAL 2005 Population in thousands
3
LATIN AMERICA CARIBBEAN
Rate growing up population per year 1.5
Source CEPAL 2005 Population in thousands
4
PRACTITIONERS LAVISUAL CARE

• All countries in the region have at least
  ophthalmologists and opticians (unique exception
  Trinidad Tobago)
• Only 37 of the countries have optometry as a
  profession, in different academic levels.
• Not in all the countries where optometry exists
  as a profession, local authorities give it
  recognition.

5
PRACTITIONERS LA
6
Social-Economical Level

• Poverty 24.7
• Extreme poverty 15.4
• Source NGO EDUCA - Peru

7
ILITERATE RATE

• Peru 8 (?2000,000) of people are iliterate
  specially in andean and rain forest regions
• Men 24.77
• Women 75.22

8
REFRACTIVE ERROR PREVALENCEPERU
Representative Andean people are mainly myops
and its combined with moderate to high
astigmatism
Hypermetropia
Hypermetropic Astigmatism
Myopic Astigmatism
Mix. Astigmatism
Myopia
Source Mirada Peru over 40,432 patients since
1999
9
REFRACTIVE BLINDNESSPERU

• Refractive error doesnt corrected is a problem
  over 65 extreme poverty population
• No have access to an eye exam
• No have resources to get the visual correction

10
VISUAL CARE MORBIDITY
Source Mirada Peru 2006a
11
PREVENTION BLINDNESSCREATE AWARENESS

• People lost vision because their level of
  culture, knowledge and politics of prevention are
  basically insuficient

12
WHAT HAVE BEEN DOING?

• Have met with the people in charge (Public
  Health, community, international cooperation)
• Have identifyed the main obstacles to accessing
  visual health services
• Have educated people about why to use eyeglasses
  e.g. eyeglasses correct not cure
• WE NEED MORE AND BETTER TRAINING FOR THE
  PRACTTIONERS

13
REFRACTIVE ERRORPREVENTION OF BLINDNESS

• Today is a global initiative
• Vision 2020
• ICEE
• Lions International
• Rotary International
• VOSH
• Mirada Perú (Looked at Peru Private )
• Ver para Leer (See to Read - Public)
• So Its very important to achieve sustainable
  projects.

14
HELPING PEOPLE TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE
One picture says more than thousands of words
15
GLOBAL INITIATIVEREALLY A NEED
La Campiña 2001
La Oroya 2000
Nazca 2004
Ayacucho 2001
16
PREVENTION OF REFRACTIVE BLINDNESSGREAT
OPPORTUNITY

• To
• Learn
• Teach
• Help
• Improve the future

17
Thank You for your Attention!
Macchu Picchu - Perú