MACHO 2

Eye Department KCMC Newsletter

Issue 2 Volume 1 Serial 2                                                                       30^th December2011

Improving Eye Care in KCMC                                                                        W. Makupa

Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre opened its doors for the first time on 6^th March 1971, and the Eye Department was one of the initial constituent departments of clinical specialty. At that time there was one ophthalmologist, the late Joseph Taylor, who was also the Medical Superintendent of the hospital. From 1976 the Eye Department was housed in its own building, thanks to Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM). With a dedicated clinical space, ward and theatre, eye care at KCMC is not affected by periodic problems of overcrowding, as is the case in the rest of the hospital.

For years, the department was the one of the two centres in the country providing tertiary eye health care services. In 1997, the Lutheran Church founded the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College, a year later postgraduate training in ophthalmology commenced. Up to this moment, 20 ophthalmologists have graduated. The department is also the only training centre in the country for AMO Ophthalmology and Advanced Diploma in Ophthalmic Nursing (both programmes are under Ministry of Health - Allied Health Sciences Schools).

From the year 2000 onwards, the department experienced improvement in ocular diagnostics; with the acquisition of ophthalmic sonography, autorefractor/keratometer, fundus flourescein angiography, automated visual field analyzer and optical coherence tomography. Our decision making has been revolutionized by these machines.

The availability of ophthalmic diode lasers have given a second chance at sight to most of the 574 patients undergoing laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy, not to mention the irreplaceable role of lasers in vitreo-retina surgery.

Although eye diseases screening outreach and eye surgical outreach have been an integral part of departmental services from the very inception, it is the focusing and consolidation of these activities in the recent years that has started to bear fruit. The number of people seeking and requiring cataract surgery has been decreasing annually from a peak in 2004. This has allowed us to be able to focus on other blinding eye diseases, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

A dedicated paediatric ophthalmology service has made it possible to provide timely and quality eye care for children. A child friendly clinical room makes the young patients feel at ease, while proper devices for evaluating minor’s vision complements the service provision. Ample theatre time allocated for childhood ocular surgery positively segregates in their favour.

Besides paediatric ophthalmology, the department also provides sub-speciality care in vitreo-retina surgery and ocular oncology. And, there are plans to develop oculoplastic surgery, glaucoma and cornea.

The department together with regional ophthalmic public health organizations is able to produce quality research; that is the basis of planning, monitoring and evaluation of our services.

All these improvements have been possible only because of the nurturing environment created by the GSF-KCMC administration and their strong support.

Cataract Surgery at the Eye Operating Theatre KCMC.

Eye Health Care Services available at KCMC are:

1. Optical services, complete with refraction, prescription and making of eye glasses for both adults and children
2. Complete ophthalmolgical consult, with paraclinical diagnostic tools such as: autorefractor, ophthalmic ultrasound, automated perimetry, fundus flourescein angiography and optical coherence tomography.
3. Comprehensive ocular surgical services, biometry is performed in each cataract patient to calculate the power of intraocular lens to be implanted with the aim of achieving best possible outcome.
4. Ocular pharmacy stocked to cater for basic and necessary ocular therapeutics
5. Rehabilitative services for the visually impaired are available with a range of low vision devices.
6. The Eye Department in collaboration with its partners conducts Day Eye Diseases Screening Outreaches (Direct Referral Site) within Kilimanjaro Region twice every week to screen the population for sight threatening conditions and transports to hospital all those who need intervention. Also Week-long Eye Surgical Outreaches (Surgical Outreach or Surgical Safari) are conducted to places too far from KCMC but where the need for eye health care exists.          

                                                 

Editor: W. Makupa, Eye Department KCMC, P.O.Box 3010 Moshi – Tanzania

Tel: +255 784 332 667 Fax: +255 27 275 4381 Email: makupauw@yahoo.com