Definition: this refers to accessible, acceptable and affordable basic eye care services to individual, families and communities. It could also define as basic eye services that should be available and affordable to every individual and families where they live.
Aims: The overall aim of Community Eye Care is to ensure that management of simple eye problem is accessible, acceptable and affordable to everyone in every community. It is also to ensure that programmes are put in place to create awareness about how to prevent eye diseases.
Objectives:
Provide eye health education to prevent eye diseases, injuries and promote healthy habit.
To promptly recognize common eye problems.
Manage simple eye diseases, offer first aid for eye injuries and appropriate referral of difficult cases.
Mobilize the community to support and participates in all community eye activities.
Conduct periodic education and serving in school for early detection of those with eye diseases.
Advocate for support from individual groups and organizations.
Essential Component:
Promotive: - Creating awareness, food supply, comprehensive reproductive health services.
Preventive: - Immunization services, provision of adequate supply of safe water and basic sanitation, control of locally endemic diseases and infection control.
Curative: - Early identification and prompt management of eye related diseases and eye injuries and provision of essential drugs.
Rehabilitation: - Providing the centre for special care of those with visual impairment.
The success of Community Eye Care Programme will first depend on the following:
Well trained Primary Health Workers preferably Community Health Practitioners
Accessibility and availability of PHC system
Acceptability and patronage of the programme by community members
Inter-sectoral collaboration.