Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the second largest cause of severe visual impairment and third most important cause of blindness in the Palestinian Occupied Territories (OPT) due to high prevalence of diabetes - often undetected or untreated for long periods of time. Coupled with poor awareness, inadequate facilities and low capacity to deal with DR, the problem is only likely to escalate further without comprehensive action.In order to change this bleak picture, it is essential to focus attention on building awareness, creating capacity and enabling the health care system provide regular screening, early diagnosis and preventive treatment and care. With funding support from WDF, Saint John Eye Hospital (SJEH) in Jerusalem - the largest institute providing eye care to people living in OPT is implementing a project to address these specific issues.The objective of the project is to reduce the burden of advanced sight threatening diabetic retinopathy by improving screening and delivery of preventive eye care amongst people with diabetes in OPT.
SJEH is a well-established hospital group providing general eye care to the population. The main hospital is located in Jerusalem and satellite clinics are placed in Gaza, Hebron and Anabta. The project seeks to improve diabetes eye care service in the West Bank by strengthening the DR services offered by SJEH as well setting up a mobile unit to provide advanced screening and treatment for DR at the UNRWA health centers serving the Palestinian refugees.
• 1 mobile unit equipped for DR screening and treatment• 20 awareness days conducted• 12 health care providers trained in diabetic eye care• 30 UNRWA health care providers trained in DR screening• 33,756 diabetes patients at SJEH and satellite clinics screened for DR• 5,500 diabetes patients at UNRWA refugee camps screened for DR• 7,333 SJEHG and 388 UNRWA diabetes patients treated for DR