2. What is blindness to you?
Exercise:
1. Write down your own definition of blindness.
2. Name other problems that people might have
with their eyes.
In pairs share your answers.
3. Definitions
BLINDNESS: When a person is unable to see because
of injury, disease, or a condition at birth.
AVOIDABLE BLINDNESS: Blindness which could be
either treated or prevented, also referred to as
NEEDLESSLY BLIND.
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT: Full or part loss of vision.
4. What is avoidable blindness?
Exercise:
1. All students to stand up
2. Any students with glasses sit down
3. Any students who have parents who wear
glasses sit down
4. Any students whose grandparents have had an
eye operation sit down
5. The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ
Fred Hollows NZ is a charitable organisation that works in
the Pacific to eliminate avoidable blindness.
In these areas 4 out of 5 people who are blind don’t need
to be.
In many cases, a short 20-minute operation can restore
sight or a dose of antibiotics can prevent blindness.
6. Vision charts are one way to
assess how well a person can
see. If they cannot see well, the
medical term for this is
‘refractive error’ (for example -
they are short-sighted or long-
sighted).
Vision charts might have lines
of letters, or E shapes for
people who cannot read or don’t
use the English alphabet
How is sight tested?
7. A person is considered blind
if their vision is worse than
3/60.
This means a person who is
blind will not be able to see the
top E on this chart when
standing 3 metres away
whereas a healthy human eye
could read the top ‘E’ at 60
metres away.
Using a vision chart, what result
is considered being blind?
8. Exercise
You can use a vision chart to
compare your eye sight with your
school mates.
This will only give you an
approximate idea of your vision.
Your optometrist has much more
precise tools to measure exactly
how well you can see.
Try it out!
15. Iris Pupil
The coloured
part of the eye
responsible for
controlling the
size of the
pupil.
The pupil is a
hole located in
the centre of the
iris and controls
how much light
enters the eye
16. Cornea
The
transparent
layer
forming the
front of the
eye.
Lens
Sits inside the eye behind the pupil and iris.
The lens changes shape, getting fatter to focus close objects
and thinner for distant objects.
18. CAUSES
There are many causes of
blindness and visual
impairment. Three most
common causes are:
• Cataract
• Refractive Error
• Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)
19. Cataract is the leading global cause of
blindness. Cataract blindness can be treated
with a short 20 minute operation.
CATARACT
When someone suffers from
cataract, the lens of the eye
becomes cloudy.
Cataract can affect one or both
eyes.
The normally clear (black) pupil area
becomes grey, as a milky cloudiness
of the lens progresses until the
cataract is mature.
In the Pacific,
cataract
accounts for
80% of
avoidable
blindness
20. Globally, uncorrected
refractive error is the
main cause of visual
impairment. Most
people can see again
with a correctly-
prescribed pair of
glasses.
Refractive error is a very
common eye problem. It occurs
when the eye cannot clearly
focus the images from the
outside world. It causes blurred
vision - conditions such as long
and short sightedness. Causes
can vary from genetics to
environmental factors.
REFRACTIVE ERROR
21. Diabetes causes a
person's blood
sugar to become
too high. It is a
lifelong condition.
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY (DR)
When someone has high blood
sugar levels, the blood vessels in
the retina can become damaged –
this cannot be reversed.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of
diabetes and is the world’s leading cause
of blindness in the working age population.
22. Who is affected by blindness
and visual impairment?
Almost 90% of people with visual impairment live in developing countries.
Globally, around
half a million
children become
blind each year.
55% of visually
impaired people
are women
23. Exercise
1. What does poverty mean to
you? What do you think basic
needs are?
2. What do you think the link is
between poverty & blindness?
3. Discuss why you think the
percentage of visual
impairment is higher in
women than men.
24. These basic needs are essential for healthy eyes.
They include:
• Proper healthcare
• Adequate shelter
• Nutritious food
• Basic hygiene facilities
• Clean water
People affected by blindness in developing countries usually fall further into
poverty.
Poverty and Blindness
Poverty is not having enough money to meet basic needs.
26. Take a man in the Pacific with a bright
future. He works hard and is able to provide
for his family and contribute to the wider
community.
His life is full and enjoyable; his wife works
and his daughter goes to the local school.
Storyboard
number: 1
27. But then darkness sets in - over time, his
sight starts to deteriorate.
Suddenly, he can no longer work and his
daughter now needs to stay home from
school to look after her father, keeping her
from her education.
Storyboard
number: 2
28. Now, his wife is the sole earner for the
household. She has to work to support the
whole family.
Money is tight because there is now only
one person working.
Storyboard
number: 3
29. HIT PAUSE!
What impact do you think this is having
on his family/relationships?
What impact do you think not going to
school will have on his daughter and her
future?
30. The family hear that The Fred Hollows
Foundation’s Pacific Outreach team are
visiting his country and they are able to
perform a 20-minute sight-restoring
operation.
He is able to return the next day to have his
bandages removed. He opens his eyes and
light comes streaming in. He can now see
the faces of his family again.
Storyboard
number: 4
31. He has his life restored - he returns to work,
independent and proud once more. Able to
provide for his family, pay his bills and
contribute to his community again.
Storyboard
number: 5
32. His future looks bright, and so does his
daughter’s future, now she is able to return
to full-time schooling. She dreams of
becoming an eye doctor to help people like
her father.
Storyboard
number: 6
34. Exit activity
In your own words
write down how you
think blindness
impacts the person,
their whanau and
the wider
community.
Editor's Notes
Notes for teacher:
Teacher starts the Fred Hollows pack by discussing with students what vision and vision loss means.
Do any students wear glasses?
Do any students have grandparents with cataracts or another eye condition?
Notes for teacher:
Conclusion:
Teacher to discuss with students that all those people who sat down represent people with avoidable blindness – which is all the conditions that could be treated or prevented.
Notes for teacher:
Teacher can now ask 5 students to stand up.
Teacher tells the 5 students they are blind
One by one four students are told to sit down
Teacher explains that their blindness was curable with an operation.
The remaining student represents the person whose blindness was not preventable or curable
Notes for teachers:
A short-sighted person can only clearly see objects that are close to them - objects which are further away cannot be seen clearly.
A person who is long-sighted can only clearly see objects that are far away – objects which are close to them cannot be seen clearly.
Notes to give the students for how to test vision – chart found in Teacher resource 1a:
The vision chart is a three metre conversion of the standard six metre chart.
Tape the eye chart to a wall. Stand three metres away from the chart and begin reading each line from the top down. If you have chosen the E chart you will need to use your hand to indicate which way the E is pointing.
Each line of the chart is labelled on the left side. The second to last line is 6/6. Have a class mate watch to see that you are reading each letter correctly. The last line that you are able to read will give you an approximate idea of your vision. If you can read the very bottom line, your vision is 6/5 (20/10)! Now try covering one eye and just testing the other one. Is one eye better than the other?
Compare your vision with your classmates. Do some of you have better vision than others?
If you wear glasses, what is your vision with them on and what is it without them?
Note: Go to IPAB.org for the latest statistics on blindness. These statistics are current as at June 2018.
Notes for teacher:
Watch the short film explaining the anatomy and function of the eyes. Then print out the diagrams below for students to label what they have learned.
Answers below (these can be played in a slide show).
Notes for teacher:
Print out and ask students to label
Print out and ask students to label
Slide show on eyes starts here.
Notes for teacher:
Check Fred Hollows Website for updated statistics. As of December 2017: In the South Pacific, where The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ works, over 39,500 people are blind and around 175,000 are visually impaired.
Since The Foundation NZ began we have distributed over 150,000 spectacles.
Source of slide: World Bank Organisation.
Notes for teacher:
Teacher could set these questions as group tasks to answer.
Answers:
1&2: Answered on next slide
3: Generally there are three main reasons. Firstly, there are some behavioural and biological differences between men and women that cause a slightly higher risk of developing certain eye diseases. For example, women have a slightly higher risk of developing cataract than men, irrespective of age. Secondly, in developing countries, women often have less access to healthcare due to social, cultural and economic norms. For example, it may be considered more important for a male family member to get treatment, or a mother may prioritise the family’s needs over her own. Thirdly, visual impairment increases with age and, in most countries, women live longer than men.
Notes for teacher:
Teacher to discuss with students why a blind person is likely to fall further into poverty.
Some answers:
They can no longer work, so their income is limited or stops.
There is usually no welfare system to financially help the person and their family.
Someone from their family will need to stay with the blind person during the day to help with basic tasks such as using the toilet and eating.
The person staying at home might have to stop working to care for the blind person.
The child of the blind person might have to stay home from school to care for their parent. Their education is lost, they are not able to get a well paid job when they are older.
Notes for teacher:
The following slides tell a story. The teacher should read out the slides one at a time and give the students 4 minutes to draw an image to accompany that part of the story.
A Word storyboard template has been provided in teacher resources 1b to print out and give to the students.
At the end of the story the students will have a completed story board.
For the teacher’s information, the Fred Hollows storyboard has been included as a comparison and can be found in resource 1c.
Teacher to stop half way through and ask the class to answers these questions.
Notes for teacher:
Teacher should have a class discussion about the above statement.
Some answers:
When sight is restored to a person who is blind they are able to go back to work and earn money
They pay tax on the money which goes back into the economy
The carer is released from their duties and able to return to work and earn money
The child who was caring for their parent is able to return to school, get an education and get a good job
Notes to teacher:
Print out slide and ask students to write in their own words how blindness impacts the person affected, their whanau and the community.
