Many going blind as TZ grapples with eye diseases
Dr Marina Njelekela PHOTO|FILE
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“Although evidence shows that 80 per cent of blindness is avoidable, tackling the problem in Tanzania - like other developing countries - is hampered by a shortfall of trained staff and poor infrastructure,”
Dar es Salaam. About one per cent of Tanzanians are blind even though evidence shows that 80 per cent of blindness is preventable.
A shortage of trained eyecare professionals and poor infrastructure are the main cause of increasing cases of blindness and visual damage in the country.
Speaking during the official opening of a pediatric eye theatre at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), the executive director, Dr Marina Njelekela, said visual diseases are among the top ten causes of morbidity in the country.
She said the country has 400,000 blind people, with 800,000 suffering from visual weakening. One per cent of them are children, he said.
She added that, 7,000 Tanzanians become blind every year because of preventable and treatable causes.
“Although evidence shows that 80 per cent of blindness is avoidable, tackling the problem in Tanzania - like other developing countries - is hampered by a shortfall of trained staff and poor infrastructure,” said Dr Njelekela.
On the other hand, Dr Njelekela outlined that poverty and blindness were highly linked. He noted that poverty had an influence on blindness and the latter aggravated the former. As a result, he said, people were excluded from various opportunities, including education and health services.
“Being blind and poor has many times resulted to exclusion from basic health, education and social services. Once blindness in revealed, opportunities for work and dependence on other family members are reduced dramatically,” she said.
Though life expectancy for children once their vision is restored is higher, if no intervention is made on blindness and visual impairment, the annual cost globally by 2020 $110 million (sh176 trillion).
As to this, Tanzania is likely to suffer most if there is no intervention given the fact that, 45 per cent of the total population is children at 14 years of age and below.
The handed pediatric eye theatre by the prevention of blindness union (PBU) and Middle East Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) is worth sh45 million with a capacity of 2 patients at any given time.
