The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired wants to save diabetic patients from going blind. They plan to do that by expanding their Diabetic Retinopathy Program through financial support from the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. Today the CEO from the trust met with BCVI's Deputy Director Carla Ayres Musa and they both explained just how important this program is to Diabetics in Belize.
Carla Ayres Musa, Deputy Director, BCVI
"We have been discussing over the past few months. BCVI is expanding our National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Treatment Programme. We have an ongoing memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health. What this does is we are getting support from the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in the UK to be able to expand the services, make them more accessible and help patients come in the receive not just screening but also treatment for the blinding disease of Diabetic Retinopathy. This is actually looking at the population over 20 and those people who are affected with diabetes. We have more of a prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Belize than type 1, but if a child does come into the program, we will screen. Basically what we have is 3 fundus cameras set up throughout the country and in addition to that we have optometrist in our other clinics where we are providing diabetic eye exams. Any person throughout the country who has diabetes is urged to come in at least annually to receive or to be a part of our screening program where the camera or the optometrist can identify if there are any changes to the retina that are going to cause vision loss and if untreated eventually lead to blindness. Right now diabetic retinopathy is the 3rd leading cause of blindness in Belize. We've noticed a drastic increase in the number of people coming in when unfortunately it's too late. They are also coming in at younger ages. I think we have quite a bit of people in our population who are thinking that 'this couldn't possibly affect me', when in reality it is."
Coordinator
"We will set up in 2011 by the heads of the Common Wealth Governments and it was to say 'thank you' to her Majesty the Queen for 60 years as head of the Common Wealth during her time in Jubilee Year. Our mandate is to create a lasting difference right across the commonwealth and then leave a legacy for the Queen. So the reason that I'm here is that our main program is on avoidable blindness. In the Caribbean we are investing in diabetic retinopathy treatment. When I found out that 4 out of 5 people who are blind don't need to be, 4 out of 5 that's 80% and I think that's absolutely shocking. That's why I feel so passionately about this program and the work that all of our partners here in Belize are doing because we can stop people from going blind and that's an extraordinary gift that can be given."
Musa told us that based on the statistics, 30,000 Belizeans are living with Diabetes and 8,000 of those patients are likely to develop Diabetic Retinopathy.
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