Elderly to have sight restored during Eye Care Awareness Week

The operations will be performed by medical staff at Netcare, the Pretoria Eye Institute, and the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), and will bring the total number of cataract operations done through this project since 2004 to nearly 4 000.

Vodacom Foundation is providing funding of R3.7-million to enable the three organisations to conduct the operations. The project is part of the Foundation's health focus, in which the focus is on improving the quality of life of vulnerable people.

Also supporting the initiative will be players from Vodacom's three soccer teams - Bloemfontein Celtic, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs - as part of the Goals for Miracles initiative. Every time one of the players scores a goal in the 2008 PSL ABSA Premiership season, Vodacom will donate R10 000 to the cataract project, up to a maximum pledged of R3.7 million.

Mthobi Tyamzashe, Chairman of the Vodacom Foundation, says: “Cataract surgery not only restores the sight of patients; it also allows them to participate fully in the lives of their families, their communities and society as a whole. For many patients, it gives them the opportunity to again see their family members, and takes the risk out of small things such as making a cup of tea.”

Eye Care Awareness Week is observed annually in early October with a particular focus on International World Sight Day which this year falls on Thursday 9 October. The theme for this year's World Sight Day is “Eyes on the future”, with the focus on eye and vision impairment in older people.

According to Netcare's Director of Group Stakeholder Relations, Dr Victor Litlhakanyane: “A cataract is the clouding of the lens inside the eye. The effect is similar to that of looking through a matted glass: everything looks fuzzy and reading is difficult. Characteristically, these changes start slowly and progress over months or years, which is why cataract sufferers are mostly elderly. It can eventually lead to blindness.”

Bloemfontein Celtic Communications Manager, Petros Augousti, said: “We are very proud to be involved in this Eye Care project. The project could also be read as, ‘I Care' and as a club, Celtic takes social responsibility very seriously. We care about helping those less fortunate or those who have had difficulties thrust upon them, and we do this through aligning ourselves with projects such as this one.”

Netcare will be doing cataract operations on a total of 418 people during the week, including 100 at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein, at the following facilities:
Netcare Optiklin Hospital (Benoni) - 20 operations
Netcare Greenacres Hospital (Port Elizabeth) - 20 operations
The Bureau (Eastern Cape Public Hospitals) - 100 operations
Netcare St Augustine's Hospital (Durban) - 4 operations
National Hospital (Bloemfontein) - 100 operations
Netcare Kuils River Hospital (Kuils River) - 20 operations
Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital (Cape Town) - 5 operations
Netcare Ferncrest Hospital (Rustenburg) - 15 operations
Netcare Rand Hospital (Johannesburg) - 10 operations
Pretoria West Hospital (Pretoria) - 80 operations
Centurion Eye Hospital (Centurion) - 20 operations
Netcare Sunninghill Hospital (Johannesburg) - 2 operations
Optimed Clinic (Alberton) - 22 operations

At the Pretoria Eye Institute in Schoeman Street, Pretoria, all five days of the week will be given to testing and performing operations on 400 elderly patients.

The South African National Council for the Blind will be conducting cataract “blitzes” at venues throughout the country in which they will operate on a total of 900 people:
Hermanus Hospital - 40 procedures
Free State National Hospital - 100 procedures
Eerste River Hospital - 50 procedures
Nelson Mandela Hospital - 100 procedures
Port Elizabeth Hospital - 100 procedures
Taung Hospital - 100 procedures
Mahatma Ghandi Memorial Hospital, KZN - 40 procedures
Mankweng Hospital, Limpopo - 150 procedures
Lebowakgomo Hospital, Limpopo - 30 procedures
Donald Frazer Hospital, Limpopo - 30 procedures
Jane Furse, Limpopo - 50 procedures
Philadelphia Hospital, Limpopo - 30 procedures
Dr CN Phathudi Hospital, Tzaneen - 50 procedures
Elim Hospital, Limpopo - 30 procedures.