Saving Babies from Going Blind

How can you tell if a baby needs low-vision services or if it goes blind? Babies and young children cannot explain what their problems are. This had been a difficulty in the Government Hospital Santa Casa in Sao Paulo, until Dr. Silvia Veitzman, CBM advisor for low vision, attended a course in Sweden in 1986. There, she learnt how to diagnose and rehabilitate babies and small children with eye problems. After her return to Brazil, she established a centre within Santa Casa Hospital. There, she is now passing on her knowledge to medical and educational staff from many countries in Latin America. Dr. Veitzman is also director of VIDI Institute for Vision and Development, a partner CBM has supported since 1996.

Not enrolled in school because of low vision
The VIDI Institute runs projects combating low vision and blindness in children. In a Community-Based Rehabilitation project in Embu, 30 km from Sao Paulo, VIDI detected 10 children with low vision a month. They were up to nine years of age, but were not enrolled in school because of their disability. By counselling the families to prepare low-cost, low-vision devices (e.g., telescopes, magnifiers, and near glasses, as well as toys and cardboard furniture), the programme has already reintegrated 60% of the children in public schools.

To help children with low vision, it is important to have a good diagnosis, the appropriate devices, and good training on how to use them. Follow-up of patients is also needed. Bar prisms, hand-held magnifiers, and extremely powerful spectacles enable the child to read and write. For schooling, large-print textbooks with contrasting colours are needed. In addition, it is often helpful to change the child’s living and learning environments, for example, by making sure that they sit near the front in class.

What is difficult with school children is even more challenging with babies—finding out about their visual problems. A CBM-supported project in Rio de Janeiro screens and treats premature babies. They are at high risk of developing Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a potentially blinding condition affecting the retina of newborns. Children with ROP can be prevented from going blind through laser treatment, but only if their condition is detected at an early stage. This ROP program serves as a nationwide model. It provides 70% screening coverage of pre-term babies at risk of developing ROP in the 6 million mega city of Rio.

In 2004 alone, 789 patients were seen in the low-vision projects in Sao Paolo, Curitiba, and Rio de Janeiro. In addition to Rio de Janeiro, ROP programmes exist in Belem, as well as in the two biggest cities of the Northeast—Recife and Fortaleza. They cover nearly 100% of governmental hospital needs.

Thus, the programmes contribute to the VISION 2020 initiative to prevent and cure visual impairment and blindness and provide visual rehabilitation for those with permanent low vision. Because there is still enormous need, CBM’s partner plans to expand the programme further to cities in Brazil.

Further information: VISION 2020 Campaign
Read more: Low Vision Care