Eye Care is an important intervention area in the service delivery of Aged Care. Though Opthalmology is a specialized medical area however it is important that Care Home Staff & Home Care Workers are trained on the basics of Eye Care.
While researching about Eye Care for Older People, the attached resource document “Training Manual on Eye Care for Staff Nurse” at Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres, Government of India (2021) showed up on Google.
Besides the great work being done in India regarding eye care, it was encouraging to find such well drafted and educative guide book.
Since relevance of the attached training manual can be of help to the entire country hence the same is being shared for better reach.
As per WHO, below are the leading causes for blindness.
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Cataract
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Glaucoma
- Uncorrected refractive errors
It is no surprise to see that age related eye problems is one of the major causes of blindness hence it is even more critical to be trained in basic eye care for older people.
Resource document “Eye Care for the Aging Eye” by American Academy of Ophthalmology, states that, visual loss as people age is a major problem.
One out of three individuals have some form of eye disease that potentially could reduce vision by the age of 65.
A loss of vision can be both emotionally and financially devastating for anyone but especially for an older person on a fixed or limited income.
Difficulty recognizing people and inability to drive can lead to social isolation, depression, and poorer quality of life.
Reduced vision is a risk factor for falls and fractures as people age. Finally, visual loss may render people, as they age, unable to care for themselves, and force them to move from a family care situation to a more costly nursing facility.
In addition, with age, certain systemic diseases increase in prevalence. Some of these diseases are also associated with eye disease, such as the following:
- Hypertension, which is associated with retinal vein occlusion
- Arthritis, which is associated with dry eye
- Diabetes, which is associated with glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy
While the training manual of Ayushman Bharat covers the important & critical areas of eye care however I feel that the same document can be customised for Aged Care.
Basic training modules which are customised for grassroot level workers and Eldercare Caregivers and developed in vernacular languages will definitely improve the service delivery at Senior Citizen Care Homes and at the community level.
The document can be accessed on https://nhsrcindia.org/ or can be downloaded here (Eye Care Training Manual for Staff Nurse at AB-HWC) or can be viewed below