Enhancing eye care and preventing blindness

Professor Shahina Pardhan, Associate Non-Executive Member at NHS Mid and South Essex, is dedicated to reducing blindness in the region and globally.

She provides clinical leadership for eye health initiatives, including the launch of local ophthalmology diagnostic hubs which are bringing care closer to home.

Recently, she was honoured with an OBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List for her work in helping to prevent blindness.

Here, we asked Professor Pardhan to share her experiences as well as her top tips for helping residents take care of their eyesight.

What are some key opportunities for enhancing eye care and preventing blindness in our communities?

Raising awareness

Preventing eye health problems is much better than treating them.

Many people are not aware that it is possible to reduce the risk of blindness, so we need to raise awareness about identifying issues before it is too late to save their vision.

Increasing uptake of screening for eye diseases

Some eye diseases can be prevented or managed effectively before more advanced treatments are necessary, such as glaucoma or issues arising from uncontrolled diabetes. However, due to a lack of awareness of the importance of early detection, some people do not participate in retinal screening or attend regular eye tests because their vision seems to be good.

It is therefore important to raise awareness of the importance of regular retinal screening and eye tests in order to prevent eye diseases becoming more advanced and leading to blindness.

Preventable blindness, such as diabetic retinopathy, is more common in people of working age and across certain ethnic and socioeconomic groups such as South Asian, Chinese, Black African, and African-Caribbean backgrounds, so early detection in these communities is even more vital.

Improving access to services

Pressures on healthcare services have extended waiting times for many services. To overcome this in mid and south Essex, I have provided clinical leadership to help develop ophthalmology diagnostic hubs in the community which are helping diagnose people with glaucoma and retina conditions which may lead to sight loss. In the first year, over 10,000 patients have been assessed at the hubs, which is helping to reduce waiting lists.

The hubs help bring care closer to home which makes patient care more efficient and easier to access.

My top tips for protecting your vision:

Attend regular eye examinations – Some eye diseases can go unnoticed because they don’t immediately affect your vision. Optometrists can spot early changes in your eyes which can prevent blindness, so even if you don’t think you need new glasses (or you don’t want to buy new glasses), you should still go for your eye test. Eye tests are free for some people including those aged over 60. The NHS also offers free retinal screening for people with diabetes– if you have not been offered one, please contact your GP practice.

Check your eyes at home – some eye diseases like age related macular degeneration can lead to vision loss unless picked up early. You can check your vision regularly at home by covering each eye one at a time and if you find your vision is wavy or blurred (with your glasses on), please do make an appointment for an eye test.

Manage your health conditions – Managing health conditions like diabetes is important for reducing the risk of eye conditions. It has been shown that people from South Asian, Chinese, Black African, and African-Caribbean backgrounds have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and blindness is a major complication of uncontrolled diabetes. Other risk factors include your lifestyle, blood pressure, cholesterol and whether you smoke.

If you already have diabetes:

• find out more about diabetic eye screening
• watch our video about diabetes and preventing diabetic blindness in English,  or in 13 other languages

Lifestyle – Protect your eyes from the sun’s UV rays when you’re outside by wearing good quality sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. You can also protect your vision by eating a good diet, quitting smoking, and being more physically active.

What services are available to residents?

There are a range of eye care services in mid and south Essex providing general and specialist care depending on your needs.

Become a community champion!

If you would like support to share our culturally appropriate videos with your local community, please get in email me. By sharing the videos, you can help your community learn about diabetes, how to self manage their diabetes, and reduce the risk of blindness.