Volunteer Based Vision NGOs and VISION 2020

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Volunteer Based Vision NGOsand VISION 2020

• Matthew Pearce O.D., M.P.H

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VBVNGOs

• Volunteer Based Vision Non-Governmental
  Organizations
• Founded by Optometrists, Ophthalmologists and
  interested lay people who recognized that there
  are availability and economic barriers to eye
  health care in many developing countries
• Typically provide eye health care through
  short-term vision camps

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Purpose of the Study

• To determine VBVNGOs understanding of VISION
  2020 and the appropriateness of their
  interventions when considered from a public
  health standpoint
• To develop indicators against which VBVNGOs can
  be judged

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Methods

• Convenience Sample
• Web search to identify VBVNGOs
• Email questionnaire sent to 51 VBVNGOs
• 8 emails were bounced back due to an inactive
  email address and no other contact information
  could be found
• 3 emails over a span of 4 weeks to the remaining
  43
• Surveys were evaluated using descriptive
  statistics
• Strategies used by VBVNGOs were then compared to
  VISION 2020 strategies as well as strategies
  implemented by IAPB organizations to allow for
  the development of indicators and recommendations

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Results

• 13 Surveys returned (30)
• 7 (54) VBVNGOs stated a familiarity with VISION
  2020
• Only 5 of those 7 took steps to familiarize their
  membership about the global initiative
• Only 3 (23) could list the five priority
  diseases of VISION 2020

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Results continued

• When presented with a list of the core strategies
  outlined in VISION 2020 3 organizations indicated
  that they were active in all aspects
• One indicated that it was active in disease
  control
• The remaining 9 (69) indicated that they were
  not active in any of the three core strategies or
  were unable to answer due to a lack of
  familiarity with the initiative

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Results continued

• None of the surveyed organizations were active in
  a national VISION 2020 program
• None of the surveyed organizations could state if
  the countries they were working in had developed
  a national VISION 2020 strategy

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ResultsWork with Priority Diseases

• All but 1 treat refractive error
• Three indicated that they provide cataract care
• Two others refer cataract patients to local
  surgeons
• One indicates that it treats all conditions
• But none specifically mentioned the treatment of
  trachoma, onchocerciasis, or childhood blindness

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Work with Priority DiseasesRefractive Error

• 11 of 12 treat refractive error using recycled
  spectacles
• One uses only 5-10 recycled spectacles
• The rest use from 50-100 recycled spectacles
  with the majority in excess of 75

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ResultsHuman Resource Development

• 6 organizations have worked with local
  practitioners or students during some of their
  vision camps

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ResultsInfrastructure Development

• 6 of the surveyed organizations (46) have
  developed permanent clinics
• Most are staffed by local health practitioners
  but the provision of eye health care is often
  dependent upon the presence of volunteers

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ResultsFormation of Partnerships

• None of the VBVNGOs surveyed work in conjunction
  with the organizations on the VISION 2020
  taskforce

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ResultsResearch

• VBVNGOs do not publish in peer reviewed journals
• Program evaluation has only been done by one
  group and was not available for analysis

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Recommendations

• Discontinue VBVNGOs in their current form
• Determine Burden of Visual Impairment
• Train Mid-Level Eye Health Care Practitioners
• Education

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Recommendations continued

• Formation of Partnerships
• Use of Recycled Spectacles and Expired
  Medications
• Create a Sustainable Spectacle Distribution
  Network
• Evaluation of Outcomes
• Focus on Public Health

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Limitations

• Poor response rate
• Convenience sampling

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Conclusions

• VISION 2020 is the over arching document that
  should guide the worlds efforts in preventing
  and treating visual impairment
• VBVNGOS must join the community of organizations
  and nations who accept the strategies of treating
  five priority diseases along with developing
  human resources and infrastructure as the best
  method for decreasing the burden of visual
  impairment