At SNEC, we want to actively create awareness about vision loss and bring eye screenings to the community through events, screenings, talks and free health checks.
Funds from VisionSave have made our most recent community project, the Mobile Eye Clinic, into a reality.
The Mobile Eye Clinic brings eye screening and checkup facilities to the elderly and underprivileged in Singapore, who may not have the means to travel to SNEC for eye checkups.
Preliminary studies indicate that up to 90% of nursing home residents have significant vision loss in both eyes. In fact, hundreds, if not thousands, of vision impairment cases among the underprivileged go unreported.
The Mobile Eye Clinic is a custom-built bus that is as large as a 45-seater passenger vehicle. It comes equipped with a full range of eye screening and diagnostic equipment commonly found in eye clinics around the world.
Vision loss is a common occurrence for elderly Singaporeans, which impacts their well-being, independence and quality of life. With Singapore’s elderly population expected to double in the next two decades, the blind among them will increase too.
A large number of blindness-causing eye problems in Singapore’s elderly can be prevented and treated with early intervention. However, many of them are in poor health, have limited mobility, and may not have the financial means to seek treatment.
The statistics tell all: 1 in 3 of patients that we treat during our free community eye screening sessions do not seek follow-up treatments for their eye conditions – and even that is a miniscule sampling of undiagnosed elderly eye patients in Singapore.
This is particularly telling in elderly care facilities – up to 90% of nursing home patients may have significant vision loss in both their eyes. Elderly adults who are surviving on small incomes and live alone in government-rented flats have also been found to be more susceptible to vision loss.
The Mobile Eye Clinic was set up by the Health Services Group (HSR) at SNEC, and funded by VisionSave, to provide early detection, referral and education services for elderly, underprivileged Singaporeans.
This mobile clinic is fully equipped with eye screening and diagnostic equipment, and travels to nursing homes, senior activity centers, and areas with large populations of underprivileged seniors to offer free screenings and referral services for subsidised treatment.
Besides offering clinical consultations, the Mobile Eye Clinic will also be used to collect data on the health and quality of life of the underprivileged elderly in Singapore, so that more affordable yet effective treatments can be developed for their eye conditions.
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