Iceh News
Survey reveals high burden of avoidable blindness in northwest Ethiopia
Photograph: Sasipriya M Karumanchi A new Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) survey has found that blindness and vision impairment remain major public health challenges in northwest Ethiopia, with more than four in five cases of blindness caused by...
Could publicly funded eye care improve access in New Zealand? New study explores the costs
A new study published in the Journal of Primary Health Care suggests that introducing publicly funded community eye care in Aotearoa New Zealand, modelled on Australia’s Medicare system, could substantially improve access to eye examinations and spectacles,...
Trial finds no clear advantage of different face-washing methods for trachoma
Face washing. Photograph: John Buchan A new randomised trial has found that three different face-washing methods, using water alone, water with soap, or a damp antimicrobial microfibre towel, were equally ineffective at removing Chlamydia trachomatis DNA from the...
Early near-vision glasses could improve visual development in vulnerable infants, study suggests
A new feasibility trial published in BMJ Open suggests that prescribing near-vision glasses to very young infants at high risk of cerebral visual impairment (CVI - sight loss due to damage in the brain rather than the eye itself) may improve early visual and...
Nigeria cataract surgery outcomes improve but remain below WHO targets
Cataract Surgery in Nigeria. Photograph: Abdulwahab Usman A new study has found that visual outcomes following cataract surgery in Nigeria remain below internationally recommended standards, despite improvements over time. The study highlights both the progress made...
Study quantifies impact of diabetic retinopathy on quality of life in Tanzania
A new study from Tanzania has provided some of the first evidence from Africa on how diabetic retinopathy affects quality of life, finding that blindness caused by the condition is associated with a substantial reduction in both general health-related quality of life...
Professor Gordon Johnson: A Life Dedicated to Preventing Blindness
The global eye health community has lost one of its most influential figures with the death of Professor Gordon Johnson. For more than four decades, Gordon helped shape the discipline of public health ophthalmology, trained generations of eye health leaders, and...
Global review finds important regional differences in antibiotic resistance in bacterial keratitis
Bacterial keratitis. Photograph: Vineet Joshi A major new systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Microbe has brought together evidence from around the world to examine antimicrobial resistance in bacterial keratitis, one of the leading causes of...
Corneal opacity remains major cause of vision loss in The Gambia, national study finds
Corneal opacity (Nigeria). Photograph: Dr Ebeogu Ogochukwu Wisdom / The Eyesavers Network International A new nationwide study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology has found that nearly one in 10 adults aged 35 years and older in The Gambia are living...