School nurses from Dubai attend training session at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai

Experts advise greater use of eye protection in schools Hospital delivers first training seminar on children’s eye health and trauma management for Dubai school nurses

4 June 2009 (Dubai, UAE): Experts at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai are recommending greater use of eye protection equipment for school children whilst playing in playgrounds, playing organised sports, and working in science labs, to help prevent common injuries to the eye. The advice was given to the first group of school nurses to attend a special ophthalmology training seminar for Dubai school nurses, organised by Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai. A total of 22 nurses attended the seminar.

According to Dr Andrea Sciscio, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, who led the seminar, there are no official statistics in the UAE but in the USA, over 40,000 eye related sports injuries are treated every year.

"We should pay more attention to eye protection in the school environment, as accidents involving injuries to the eye are very common - from paper cuts to bruising during play and sports accidents," he said. "Of course, we cannot prevent every accident but there are some simple ways to reduce the risk such as the use of goggles in sports and in the science lab. The eye is quite a frail structure and so protection is important - we can repair damage around the eye very successfully but the eye itself is delicate."

The school nurse seminar covered vision screening, injury prevention, and the assessment of eye trauma (injury) at schools and the need for quick response. The seminar covered sports, the playground and even science laboratories, especially those using potentially hazardous chemicals such as acids and especially alkalis.

In addition to covering theory, the seminar also provided the nurses with a hands-on opportunity in the use of specialist equipment for assessing the extent of any potential eye injury, and testing methods for checking the impact of these injuries on the vision of the student.

"The school nurse plays a vital role in managing any eye injury," added Dr Sciscio, "and the key is to assess any damage quickly and then take action or refer to a specialist. The use of constant irrigation (washing with a saline solution or water) does make a dramatic impact on the outcome of the treatment and so this is a simple but very effective rule to follow."

The seminar also covered the Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai School Vision Screening programme, in which specialists from the hospital work with schools to complement the role of the school nurses in the early identification and treatment of vision related problems amongst school children.

The ‘School Vision Screening’ programme, which is offered to private schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has screened more than 800 students so far, with around 12 per cent ‘failing’ one or more of the tests administered, in which case a further comprehensive eye examination is recommended. The programme focuses on pupils in years 1 and 2, aged 5-7 years. The School Vision Screening programme is continuing, following the initial phases of the programme which covered four schools in Dubai.

According to ophthalmologists, around one quarter of school-age children have some form of vision problem, such as short sightedness, astigmatism, cataracts, colour blindness, lazy eye or genetic diseases. Many of these problems begin well before school age and can go undetected, and so screening at an early age is an important part of the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment process.

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai started the School Vision Screening programme shortly after establishing the new hospital in Dubai - the first overseas branch of the world renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Media contact:
Jonathan Walsh
WPR
Dubai
Tel: 050 4588610
Email: jon@wprme.com

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