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Press Release: Cataract project to light up the lives of our children
Issued on behalf Network Healthcare Holdings (Netcare) Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA)
2005-10-11

Monday, 10 October 2005 If you thought that cataracts were an afflictionsuffered only by the elderly, think again. There are also some 1, 300 children in South Africa who are blind as a result of this condition.

If you consider that a twenty-minute operation by an eye specialist can remove a cataract and restore vision to the eye, it is unacceptable that somany South African children suffer blindness from cataracts, says Deidre de Jongh of Fight-4-Sight, a project that tackles cataract blindness in SA.

This year, Fight-4-Sight aims to operate on as many underprivileged cataract-blind children as possible during its 24-hour cataract surgery marathon on World Sight Day, 13 October. This project is a joint initiative between Vodacom Foundation, Netcare, Primary Eyecare Clinic (PEC) Ophthalmicare Pretoria East Hospital and Akasia Clinic is calling on underprivileged parents to bring forward their cataract- blind children so they can have their sight restored.

We aim to operate on around 500 patients, more than twice the number who benefited last year. Pretoria East Hospital and Netcare Akasia expect to be able to complete four cataract removals an hour on marathon day which will include both children and adults.

Blindness in South Africa is an important inhibitor of development on both a personal and economic level and so Vodacom Foundation supports Netcare to fight cataract blindness through the Fight-4-Sight project and Sight for Life projects to help reduce cataract surgery backlogs in South Africa and provide broader access to treatment.

Vodacom Foundation is committed to projects that facilitate the development of South Africa and its people, says Mthobi Tyamzashe, Vodacoms executive director: corporate affairs. Since 2004, the Foundation has invested more than R2 million into the Sight for Life project to give the gift of sight to the underprivileged. This financial support has provided funding for more than 264 operations.

Netcare provides necessary equipment, venues, skills and expertise, while selected pharmaceutical suppliers donate medical stock and the balance is funding provided by Vodacom Foundation.

Childhood blindness is the theme for Eye Care Awareness Week 2005 that runs from Monday, 10 October to Friday, 14 October and this years focus is on children with cataracts. Cataract blindness is easily avoided these days, so it particularly tugs at the heartstrings to find that there are many South African children who are blind as a result of this condition.

A cataract operation can give an elderly person another ten or perhaps fifteen years of vision when we operate on a child we can give them an entire lifetime of light and a lifetime of good vision.

Dr Kathy Bridgens, an ophthalmologist at Pretoria East Hospital and member of Ophthalmicare, says that although cataracts are common in the elderly, they are relatively uncommon in children. Nevertheless, around 20% of the 6, 500 blind children in South Africa have been rendered blind as a result of cataracts and have not received the benefit of surgery.

Cataracts in children can be caused by genetics, lazy eye syndrome, corneal scarring or in some cases infections, such as German measles during the early months of pregnancy. Children should have their eyes checked regularly to ensure that they are healthy and a clear warning sign of cataracts are misty white pupils.

Fight-4-Sight won tremendous support last year, even earning the praise of President Thabo Mbeki after operating on and restoring the sight of 207 indigent, cataract-blind South Africans on World Sight Day 2004. The project also has the full backing of the Department of Health.

Members of the public wanting to contribute to this worthy cause can also SMS the word SIGHT to 38505. The cost of each SMS will be R10.

Special assistance line to obtain support and further information on cataract blindness: 0861 228 722.

Issued on behalf Network Healthcare Holdings (Netcare) Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA), For further information please contact Martina Nicholson or Graeme Swinney Tel (011) 469 3016.

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