Abstract

MORENO DOMINGUEZ, José Carlos et al. Visual diseases and their treatment in Pinar del Rio’s population. The Miracle Mission from 2006 to 2010. Rev Cubana Oftalmol [online]. 2012, vol.25, n.2, pp.264-279. ISSN 0864-2176.

Objective: to determine the prevalence of eye diseases in the population of Pinar del Rio province and to implement therapeutic actions, with the purpose of changing the existing situation. Methods: a prospective and interventional study was conducted from 2006 to 2010, based on an active screening of houses. The universe was the population aged = 5 years from the 14 municipalities of the province (685 961 in 2006) and the sample was formed by those evaluated (605 915). Some strategies aimed to cope with these diseases were implemented. Results: the prevalence of eye diseases was 46.39 %. Refractive defects(25.53%), cataract(7.13%) and pterygium(7.32%) predominated. The primordial causes of blindness were cataract and glaucoma. Some strategies were implemented, which raised the rate of satisfaction of the population's demands. High visual efficiency was achieved in the postoperative period of cataract surgery. Conclusions: the province is a pioneer of the implementation of a new working method called ”the active screening”. This was a real social campaign that takes health home. It extended the approach to the blindness prevention within the primary health care since the three components, that is, the community, the social setting and the medical care are developed.

Keywords : active screening; eye diseases; blindness; cataracts; pterygium; social campaign; community health; primary health care.

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