Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has intensified its efforts to raise awareness on the importance of prevention of eye diseases, as well as early detection and diagnosis of conditions that can lead to visual impairment or blindness, as part of this year’s World Sight Day.

World Sight Day is a global initiative launched by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), celebrated annually on the second Thursday of October. The initiative aims to promote blindness prevention programs by raising awareness, educating and involving the community. It highlights the importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment of diseases that can lead to blindness, particularly in light of the increasing number of people with visual impairment. The IAPB currently estimates that approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide are affected by visual impairment. The agency has warned that this number could increase, potentially affecting half of the world’s population by 2050.

Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of the Department of Non-communicable Disease Prevention Programs, affirmed the Ministry of Public Health’s commitment to exert efforts and continually strive to provide the best health services to maintain eye health. This includes developing health and awareness programs targeting all segments of society, creating public awareness about eye health and safety among community members, highlighting common eye diseases, methods of treatment and prevention, and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access comprehensive eye care services.

Sheikh Dr Al Thani also highlighted the importance of early eye exams to detect possible eye conditions and prevent eye diseases, especially as many people spend long periods in front of screens.

The results of the latest national survey, announced in 2023, revealed a significant improvement in the eye health of the Qatari population. The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in collaboration with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), focused on the detection of visual impairment and blindness in people aged 50 and over. The survey results indicated that the percentage of people suffering from severe vision impairment or blindness has declined significantly, with approximately 8.1% of adults over the age of 50 suffering from vision impairment. Of this group, 0.2% suffer from severe visual impairment, while the percentage diagnosed with blindness does not exceed 0.3% of participants. Additionally, the survey identified the leading causes of blindness in Qatar as diabetic retinopathy (33%), followed by cataract (20%), glaucoma (13%), retinal diseases (13%) and uncorrected refractive errors (6.7%).

Sheikh Dr Al Thani said that the results of this survey, compared to the previous survey conducted in 2009, clearly demonstrate the progress of ophthalmology in the State of Qatar. He pointed out that the incidence of blindness has been divided by four, while cases of severe visual impairment have been divided by approximately eight. Additionally, effective surgical coverage for cataract treatment in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) hospitals has seen remarkable improvement from 63% in the previous survey to over 95%.

It is essential that all people with diabetes or glaucoma commit to having annual eye exams and maintaining ongoing follow-up with eye specialists to prevent the development of eye diseases. Furthermore, monitoring blood sugar levels is crucial, especially since the results of the survey reveal that 40% of participants are diabetic, 38% of these individuals having not undergone any examination or follow-up with an ophthalmologist at the time. over the last two years. Therefore, this increases their susceptibility to the risks of diabetic retinopathy and other complications.

Qatar continues to strengthen its commitment to early detection of eye diseases, including through improved protocols to identify diabetic retinopathy using state-of-the-art equipment to thoroughly examine the layers of the retina and optic nerve. Most diseases that can lead to visual impairment and blindness are well understood and can be effectively prevented or treated if detected early.