Article

ZEISS Vision Care Supports Community Eye Care in Senegal

Contributing to better access to vision and eye care in an unserved region

1 March 2024

As one of the projects of ZEISS Social Engagement, the first community eye clinic was opened in Missirah by ZEISS Vision Care Spain, the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation and Dentists on Wheels. The town of Missirah is located in the Taubacouta district of the Fatick region of Senegal and has a population of more than 10,000 people who previously had little or no access to eye and vision care. The ambitious project represents a significant milestone for the visual health of this large, needy population suffering from severe vision problems.

Joint project by ZEISS, Dentists on Wheels and the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation

The community eye clinic is part of the Clinic in Missirah, a project that Dentists on Wheels has been developing since 2012 with the support of various partners, including ZEISS Vision Care Spain. Dentists on Wheels is a non-profit organization that provides free dental care and promotes oral health awareness to people in disadvantaged areas. With this project, the organization and its partners are breaking the paradigm that underprivileged communities in Africa do not have access to the latest technology or care from top healthcare professionals.

The clinic employs local staff trained by professionals from the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving people's vision and hearing. Volunteer optometrists travel from Spain on an ongoing basis, and the clinic has modern equipment for eye examinations and a frame workshop.

The constant presence of volunteers, the modern examination equipment, the frame workshop and the new frames provided by the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation, together with the lenses donated by ZEISS, enable the patients to correct their visual impairment and in most cases to take their new glasses home on the same day as their visit to the clinic.

As a company, we are proud not only that the community eye clinic in Missirah is helping people with visual health problems in an area where such services did not exist, but also that it is doing so in a sustainable way.

Santiago Escandón Head of Product and Marketing Manager at ZEISS Vision Care Spain

The eye examinations at the community eye clinic in Missirah are carried out by volunteer optometrists.
The eye examinations at the community eye clinic in Missirah are carried out by volunteer optometrists.
The eye examinations at the community eye clinic in Missirah are carried out by volunteer optometrists.

Awareness campaigns for a sustainable support

In addition to patient care, the clinic also carries out prevention activities such as awareness campaigns, visual health education and the production of educational materials.

"As a company, we are proud not only that the community eye clinic in Missirah is helping people with visual health problems in an area where such services did not exist, but also that it is doing so in a sustainable way. Projects involving international cooperation must try to be completely self-sufficient if they are to be truly effective, and I believe that the strong commitment of everyone involved and the supply of lenses by ZEISS are a good example of this," said Santiago Escandón, Head of Product and Marketing Manager at ZEISS Vision Care Spain.

Since 2015, ZEISS Vision Care has been committed to enabling integrated, people-centered eye care in underserved regions and providing quality eye and vision care to underprivileged children and adults in rural areas. Through the Aloka Vision Programme in India and Nepal, ZEISS reaches tens of thousands of patients every month, with a total of over 900,000 people benefiting from this commitment in 2023. Further projects have been set up in Brazil and Uganda. ZEISS always works together with NGOs, eye clinics, customers, and eye care institutions to ensure the quality, impact and sustainability of all social business and engagement.

"I was proud of ZEISS when I saw how many lenses we'd donated to the community eye clinic and how much we'd contributed to a much-needed project"

Interview

Mario Hidalgo, optometrist and volunteer at ZEISS Vision Care Spain, who was personally involved in the project, explains the background and why the community eye clinic is so important for the people of Missirah.

Tell us about the Community Eye Clinic project. What's its purpose and how is it managed?

The project is linked to a dental and ophthalmology center and its purpose is to provide a comprehensive service in these two areas of health care for the entire region. The ZEISS partners are the Dentists on Wheels Foundation and the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation. Multidisciplinary teams rotate every two weeks.

In terms of eye and vision care, we screen for visual impairment and, if necessary, refer patients for eye surgery. The most common conditions are cataracts, pterygium, and keratitis. We have a workshop with a large stock of lenses donated by ZEISS Vision Care Spain, as well as sunglasses and corrective lenses donated by the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation.

And what does it mean to you as an optical professional, but also as an individual, to be part of this initiative?

As an eye care professional, it gives me great satisfaction to be able to provide eye care and treatment to people who would have difficulty accessing it without this initiative. Personally, it's been a unique experience. I can confirm what they say about international cooperation: you get back more than you give.

Was there a particular case that had a particular impact on you?

Yes, of course. The ones that really stand out, of course, are the visual impairments in children, especially those that could have been prevented with proper treatment or proper care and protection. Children who have lost their sight because of trauma, untreated keratoconjunctivitis and poorly performed surgery.

It is truly staggering to realize that so many vision problems that are so easily preventable in the developed world lead to visual impairment, or worse, blindness. Now, thanks to the new community eye clinic, we can start discussing prevention and solutions.

How do you think the availability of new glasses can benefit the population?

Of course, it is important to prevent amblyopia (lazy eye) by wearing glasses and sunglasses. There is a high incidence of solar keratoconjunctivitis. In adults, the use of technology, computers and mobile phones is also increasing, which requires solutions for this type of eye fatigue. In fact, I've seen that prevention in the field of visual health can change people's lives and, especially for children, shape their future. The aim of the collaboration is to create a reference in a sustainable center. And this has been achieved.

The center has a very solid organization, and it is sustainable on a financial and human level. What I have noticed is that it goes beyond health. Educators visit schools to teach hygiene and waste management, work with local authorities to set up a rubbish collection system with bins, try to improve communication and even provide training and equipment for the ophthalmology team in the area. In short, I am optimistic about the future.

Thanks for these interesting insights!