What is it about?
Poverty has a detrimental effect on health and sight affecting a person's quality of life. Many organisations offer hope and optimism in eliminating avoidable world blindness. Healthcare practitioners have an important role in the care of patients with eye conditions that might cause sight loss. This paper explores the challenges when caring for patients who are living in poverty; it also identifies how nurses working in collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams contribute to the early detection, prevention and in health promotion to empower patients in managing their own care and increasing their self-efficacy towards helping in eliminating world blindness.
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Why is it important?
Poverty is a major global issue that exists in all societies. Its effect on health is well established and multidimensional. Blindness is associated with poverty and poor health. It is important that healthcare personnel develop an understanding of the link between poverty and eye conditions so that appropriate measures can be implemented to help prevent blindness.
Perspectives
There is a link between poverty, eye health and sight loss. Collaborative working with various agencies at a local, national and international level contribute to preventing avoidable blindness and helps empower vulnerable people to participate fully in society.
Dr Swapna Williamson
University if West London
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Effect of poverty on eye health and implications for nursing practice, Nursing Standard, August 2016, RCNi,
DOI: 10.7748/ns.2016.e10014.
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