2 Eye Diseases I Hope You Never Experience (and 1 You Probably Will)

Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, and Presbyopia Which are you almost guaranteed to be afflicted by?

Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, and Presbyopia Which are you almost guaranteed to be afflicted by?

Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, and Presbyopia Which are you almost guaranteed to be afflicted by?

Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, and Presbyopia Which are you almost guaranteed to be afflicted by?

SightFirst Initiatives Project for Elimination of Avoidable Childhood Blindness –35 centers around the world to deliver care to 100 million kids Lions Eye Health Program –Community-based education program in the US and industrialized countries River Blindness/Trachoma Control SightFirst China Action Project –Over 5 million cataract surgeries performed in rural China and Tibet

Since 1980, SightFirst has: Awarded $232.5 million for 956 projects in 100 countries Provided 7.6 million cataract surgeries Prevented serious vision loss for 30 million Improved eye care services for hundreds of millions Provided 131 million treatments for river blindness Built or expanded 300 eye hospitals/clinics/wards Upgraded 372 eye centers with equipment Provided management training for 115 facilities Trained 345,000 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, other professional eye care workers and village health workers Launched world's first-ever initiative to combat childhood blindness in partnership with the World Health Organization. The 35 pediatric eye care centers established or strengthened have impacted the lives of 100 million children

Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, and Presbyopia Which are Lions helping to eradicate?

Trachoma Is the leading cause of blindness from infection in the world today 84 million people WW are infected (WHO) 8 million are visually impaired Caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria Primarily affects the world’s poor where hygiene and environmental factors proliferate the bacteria

How Does it Spread? A bacterial infection that spreads among children and to their caregivers Environment makes repeated infection likely Disease causes discharge from the eye that easily infects others through incidental contact

What Does Trachoma Do? Initially causes conjunctivitis with redness, swelling With repeated re- infection, causes eyelid scarring and corneal damage Ultimately causes the eyelashes to turn inward and severely damage the cornea

How is Trachoma Treated? Very Easily! (if caught early enough) A single dose of Zithromax (donated by Pfizer) wipes out the infection Surgery is needed to reconstruct the eyelid in advanced Trachoma Severe corneal damage = permanent vision loss

How is Trachoma Prevented? Treat the active cases with antibiotic Face washing to reduce disease transmission Environmental changes to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation

What Lions Are Doing To Help Eradicate Trachoma? Partnership with the Carter Center, Pfizer, WHO, and others to treat and educate A comprehensive plan to eliminate the disease by 2020 has been created In 2008, the 10 millionth dose of Zithromax was distributed Projects in Ethiopia alone have received more than $7 million in funding

Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) Is the 2 nd leading cause of blindness from infection in the world today 18 million are infected 300,000 are blind from the disease Caused by parasitic worm transmitted by bite from black fly Worm can live for 15 years in the human body

What Does River Blindness Do?

How Is It Treated/Prevented? A single annual dose of a drug manufactured and donated by Merck called Mectizan

What Lions Are Doing To Help Eradicate River Blindness? Partnership with the Carter Center to treat and educate Supported more than 114 million treatments in Africa and Latin America Work in 12 countries Eradication targeted in Latin America by 2010

Why Can’t I Read the Paper Anymore?

What Causes Presbyopia?

One Option… Photo by Ben Ward, Flick r

Multi-focal Lens Restor TM lens – Alcon Labs

Accommodating lens Crystalens TM – B&L

Thank You!