Focusing on Inclusive Eye Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases

Blog | September 13, 2022

This blog on Inclusive Eye Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases relates to our Annual Report 2021. 

In 2021, CBM Global welcomed new members to the Inclusive Eye Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases (IEH & NTD) team. In addition to familiarising themselves with the organisation and projects, the team focused specifically on defining inclusiveness in eye health and adapting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) strategy from the 2019 World report on Vision, Integrated People Centred Eye Care (IPEC).

An inclusive approach to eye health

The IPEC strategy puts a lot of effort into providing access to eye care at community level. In our IEH work, we follow the IPEC priorities and collaborate with OPDs and local partners to ensure that disability inclusion is a critical element. We look at three levels in eye health:

1. National level: ensuring that our work is embedded in the national health strategies and working with our partners to advocate for disability inclusion in national eye health plans.
2. Eye care facilities: working with many eye hospitals at secondary and tertiary levels to implement the treatment of eye diseases and ensuring that these facilities are accessible. In 2022, we will start piloting Accessibility GO! in several of our partner facilities, to ensure there are no barriers to accessing eye care.
3. Community level: providing inclusive eye health at community level. We are collaborating with the ArcLight project at St. Andrews University on delivering a standardised primary eye care course for primary health care workers, to develop this capacity at community level. Through working with OPDs and Community Based Organisations, we ensure that anyone who needs access to this care can receive the support they need.

Through its partners, CBM Global strives to provide both a holistic approach – addressing all the eye care needs, such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, glaucoma, etc. – and delivering a continuum of care. This means that we are developing access to quality eye care while ensuring that we strengthen support for people with permanent vision impairment so that no one is left behind.

Learn more about work in Inclusive Eye Health.

Working to eradicate Neglected Tropical Diseases

CBM Global supports NTD programmes in areas where these diseases are identified as a public health problem. We tackle NTDs by:

• Breaking the infectious cycle through mass drug administration.
• Helping those already affected by these infectious diseases.
• Preventing these diseases through Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH).

There is close integration of NTD programming with community mental health, community based inclusive development, and advocacy to achieve these aims.

Learn more about our work in NTDs.