Village Integrated Eye Workers Trial (VIEW)
This research project started in 2014 in collaboration with University of California San Francisco, F. I. Proctor Foundation, SEVA foundation and Bharatpur Eye Hospital. Starting from the year 2014, VIEW has implemented different phase of its study activities (VIEW-I, VIEW-II Pilot, VIEW-II Screening, VIEW-II Final Exam- ongoing and SightLife blindness prevention program- ongoing). VIEW-I and VIEW-II Pilot is already completed and some of the papers have been published.
Census Progress : July 17 2023 – July 15 2024
Census completion places
Bharatpur Municipality, Kalika Municipality, Khairani Municipality, Ratanagar Municipality, Gaidakot Municipality, Devchuli Municipality
Total people enumerated- 3,28,700
Total people 50 years and above- 87,019
Total people whose VA has been taken- 69,615
VIEW-II Final Exam:
VIEW-II Final Exam is the wrap up exam of VIEW-II screening started from June 2023. A repeat census is conducted in all clusters 4years after implementation of the screening intervention. Census workers update vital status and demographic data collected at baseline and add all new community members. Visual acuity is assessed for all participants ≥50 years old following the same procedures employed at baseline. Participants who have pinhole visual acuity worse than logMAR 0.48 (Snellen equivalent 20/60) in either eye at the time of the final census are offered an eye examination consisting of VA/refraction, IOP assessment, visual field assessment and anterior and posterior segment visualization at the community, performed by a trained team of optometrist and ophthalmic assistant masked to treatment assignment.
Statistics: July 17 2023 – July 15 2024
Total people 60 years and above- 51,352
Total people 60 years and above whose VA is taken- 41,081
Total participants eligible for final exams- 6,072
Total people enrolled- 5,072 (84%)
Total people referred-3,016 ( 59.4%)
Total people attended referral visit- 420 (14%)
Cureblindness Project (Blindness Prevention Program):
This aim to find the effectiveness of Female Community Volunteers (FCHVs) in preventing corneal blindness due to trauma. This was a three years study which ended in 2017 with the result that FCHVs intervention was effective in reducing corneal opacities due to ocular trauma in the rural communities than peri- urban or urban communities. Latter since September 2017 SightLife took this research as a corneal prevention program, where trained 117 FCHVs from 12 VDCs (Kathar, Kumroj, Birendranagar, Amarapuri, Pragatinagar, Devchuli, Agyauli, Deurali, Dhaubadi, Narayani, Nayabelhani and Kolhuwa)
are involved in detecting and treating corneal abrasion due to trauma with prophylactic antibiotic ointment in their communities and appropriate referrals to eye care centers or eye hospitals. 4 field supervisors involved in monitoring those FCHVs. The HCP and SighLife International merged to creat a new program called Cureblindness Project.
Statistics: July 17, 2023 – July 15, 2024
Total cases seen by FCHVs – 5,470
Total abrasion detected and treated by FCHVs – 2,932 (53.6%)
Total referrals done by FCHVs – 212 (3.87%)
