%0 Journal Article
%T Reducing Diabetic Blindness in Far-Flung Sub-Saharan Rural Communities: Odot, Nsit-Atai as a Case Study
%A Emmanuel Olu Megbelayin
%A Margaret Mboho
%J Open Access Library Journal
%V 1
%N 9
%P 1-4
%@ 2333-9721
%D 2014
%I Open Access Library
%R 10.4236/oalib.1101117
%X Background: Odot is the head-quarter of Nsit-Atai
local government, 70 kilometers from Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom state capital. About 5000
population has a Comprehensive Health Center, a Primary Health Centre and 2
Health Posts to meet its enormous health needs. Additionally, the workers in
these health facilities are neither trained nor equipped to render eye care
services. Patients with systemic diseases with potentially debilitating effects
on vision come to the urban tertiary referral health center at terminal
blinding stages. This trend requires an urgent attention to curb diabetic
blindness among often vibrant working population. Objective: To explore how
scheduled vision screening exercises can help reduce blindness from diabetic
mellitus in this rural community. Methodology: Major databases including National
library of Medicine PubMed were searched for relevant data. Additional
information was obtained by on-sight assessment of the index community.
Conclusion: From community health standpoint, vision screening remains a cheap
avenue to arrest diabetic blindness in Nsit-Atai and similar set-ups around the
world.
%K Diabetes Mellitus
%K Blindness
%K Health Planning
%K Eye Screening
%K Medical Economics
%U http://www.oalib.com/paper/3129836