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Field experiences in popularising eye health awareness

Introduction

Health Education is an art which is a vital part of the Health Care delivery system. Health education has been defined as the basis of preventive medicine. It provides us with knowledge about various diseases and also the methods by which they can be prevented. The different tools used to impart health education include drama, talk, audio-visuals, villupattu (folk art), puppet show and so on, depending upon the target audience.

Health education should be simple and carry the message to the audience in an easily understandable manner. The success of the health education depends upon of the extent to which the participants interact. This concern led us to adopt novel methods that would be both effective and useful. The students were separated into two categories; junior level students participated in drawing and elocution competitions while senior level students had essay writing and an audiovisual quiz.

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are close to 37 million visually challenged people in the world and 115 million have some form of visual impairment. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of awareness about eye care. According to the VISION 2020: ‘The Right to Sight’ programme in India, a special emphasis was laid on preventive eye care and awareness creation. In keeping with this, it was decided to create awareness about eye care among school children in the age group 11 years - 18 years.

Students are an important part of the community. They should be educated on preventive health. To spread eye care messages among students, several competitive events were organized that were engaging and entertaining with a high level of student participation. At the same time these programmes are very simple and can bring considerable benefit to community health care programmes.

Field Work

Beginning on ‘World Sight Day 2003’, for the first time in Tamil Nadu, district level competitions were organized around the theme of eye health, in drawing, essay writing and quiz for school students in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu state, with the encouragement and support of the then Deputy Director of Health Services, Madurai district.

Two weeks before the competition a small booklet on ‘Basic Eye Care’ (prepared by this author) was distributed free to the children to help them understand some basics about eyes their care. Students of junior classes took part with enthusiasm in a drawing competition on the topic ‘Sight is enough’. Some of the common messages expressed by the students related to the following themes:

1. Importance of vitamin A rich food for good eye health.

2. Importance of Breast feeding

3. Better reading habits and the importance of good illumination

4. Problems of Corneal Blindness

5. Normal TV viewing distance

6. Importance of the eye glasses for defective vision

7. Common safety procedures.

Students from the senior classes participated in an essay competition on the topic ‘Come with bright eye sight’. Students covered general eye care both for children and adults and even wrote about the importance and the need for timely treatment for cataract and glaucoma.

A quiz competition on eye care was conducted for senior students. Each school sent a team of two students to participate in the quiz. Students appreciated the free booklet that was provided before the quiz.

First-round questions focused facts on eye care. The second round was a visual round. A Power Point presentation was shown to the students and questions were asked based on the visuals. For every question a detailed explanation was given through visuals and the children’s doubts were cleared.

Outcome

The overall response to the first programme was excellent. Hence it was decided to conduct similar competitions for ‘National Fortnight on Eye Donation’ on yearly basis (25 August - 8 September). Simple messages relating to the magnitude of corneal blindness and the importance of prevention were explained with the help of a Power Point presentation. The children were also taught about the importance of adopting safety measures to prevent accidental eye injuries while playing. The children were exposed to the dangers of the self-medication for common eye problems. The students in the audience were also encouraged to participate in the quiz when the teams were unable to answer questions.

The impact of the awareness programme was felt in the neighbouring districts as well. After hearing about the programmes the district administration of the neighbouring Theni district invited the group to conduct similar competitions from 2004 onwards. Some of the heads of the schools also requested to organize such competitions, particularly the quiz, for their students. In 2005 the activity was extended to other nearby school districts and will be expanded soon to other districts in the coming year.

Conclusion

These competitions have paved the way for students to learn more about eye care. By conducting such competitions it was able to spread awareness about eye diseases and promote the understanding of preventive measures to help avoid blindness. Apart from the participating students, the teachers, parents and the general public also benefited. The programme clearly contributed to the objectives of the global initiative VISION 2020: The Right to Sight.