VISION FOR ALL… restoration and prevention
Monday, October 6, 2008
Oct 9th is World Sight Day...
On this day i want to share some information about children and their sight....
Vitamin A deficiency, VAD, has been recognized as the leading cause of preventable paediatric blindness in most of developing countries. In last many years, combating Vitamin A deficiency has emerged as cost effective and earliest intervention for saving children sight. VAD, either due to a poor diet or infections that deplete the body's stores or reduce absorption of the vitamin, not only causes blindness, but also needlessly increases the risk of child and maternal morbidity and mortality. Every year, between 250,000 and 500,000 children around the world go blind from a lack of vitamin A in their diet. Seventy percent of these children die within one year of becoming blind. It is estimated that provision of adequate amounts of vitamin A reduces overall child mortality by 23 - 34%.
Child blindness is an important concern because it impacts on the child development, education, future opportunities and quality of life. This handicapped have serious social and economical consequences on family and society.
Vitamin A is needed to keep the outer surface of the eye moist and healthy, as well as for growth and development of a healthy immune system. VAD leads to decreased production of a photosensitive pigment in the rods of the eye, so the level of light needed for vision increases and night blindness results. If the deficiency keep on persisting it would leads to permanent eye dryness and ulceration and with in few days child may loose his vision or sight. This vision loss is irreversible.
Vitamin A dosage is given to children who are screened properly and found vitamin A deficient. But, sometime if the parents are ignorant or are not aware may delay the diagnosis leads to Vitamin A deficiency visual loss. Vitamin A is found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, vegetables like carrot and fruits like papaya. Every child and individual should eat this enriched diet.
Vitamin A deficiency can be prevented by promoting the production and consumption of vitamin A-rich foods through homestead food production, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, and community and school gardens. It is very essential to spread awareness about the importance of the Vitamin A and the prevention of its deficiency. The school garden or garden at home can be used by teaching children about production of the Vitamin A. mothers and teachers should be educated about the Vitamin A importance and they should encourage this healthy food practice. Similarly school children should be educated for the prevention of other eye infection and eye injuries during play. Use of clean water to wash the eyes, proper handling, and healthy food can prevent other commoner eye infection. Early detection of refractive eye errors can reduce the child drop out and can improve the child interest in studies.
Repetitive eye check up camps should be conducted by primary health centre or in local school.
Nutrition Education
Nutrition education brings about an awareness in individuals and communities of the need for proper selection of foods and creation of sound eating patterns. Imported food mixtures, injections and capsules do not provide permanent solutions and realistic approaches to the problem of nutritional blindness. Families need to learn to use the foods around them or foods that can be easily introduced and accepted. The frequency of use of milk and milk products, leafy vegetables, raw vegetables and fruits such as papaya and mango had also increased to an appreciable extent after the education programme.
Promotion of
Increased production of vitamin A rich foods through home gardens, school gardens and community gardens can result in increased consumption of vitamin A rich foods and lead to a reduction in the incidence of vitamin A deficiency. The ANP(applied nutritional programme) has a three pronged approach: (a) stepping up the production of protective foods, like green leafy vegetables, fruits and eggs; (b) consumption of protective foods by the vulnerable groups: expectant and nursing mothers and children under five years of age; and (c) nutrition education
(1) Promote the utilization of available space and waste water for the production of 
nutritious foods;
(2) Give pupils skills in gardening;
(3) Promote the health of the pupils through consumption of the garden products, and;
(4) Help to supplement the pocket money of the pupils through sale of the products from their nutrition garden
Posted byNeeti at 10:00 PM
Labels: awareness
Dr. Neeti,
A good article on an appropriate day. However, I am not able to find further material on ANP, a link to ANP would help.