I Can See Clearly Now...
by Sarah Edmunds
I remember receiving my first pair of glasses as a child, and how much my life improved with the sudden ability to see clearly. The headaches from constantly straining my eyes disappeared, and everything I saw appeared sharper and more vibrant. But, had my elementary school not administered free eye exams, I would never have known I had impaired vision at all.
Nearly 250 million people suffer worldwide from poor vision. But how are children with vision deficiency - young children, especially - supposed to know that they view the world less accurately than children with perfect vision? If a child is born visually impaired, he may go 10 years without realizing that the writing on the chalkboard in school is sharper than his eyes perceive it to be. Fortunately, in the United States, glasses and contact lenses are easily accessible and relatively affordable to the majority of the population.
It is much worse for developing nations. Ninety percent of the 250 million people that suffer from poor vision live in developing countries, and they suffer because either they do not have access to proper eye care, or they cannot afford it. An organization called Give the Gift of Sight reaches out to these people, providing free eye examinations and free eyewear. Since 1991, Give the Gift of Sight has helped over 2.5 million people in 32 developing countries. The organization collects millions of pairs of used glasses from various retail stores, then repairs and recycles them to fit the needed prescriptions.
But what happens when glasses or contact lenses aren't enough? Some people have worse vision impairments than simple near or far-sightedness, which even modern techniques like Lasik surgery cannot correct. Fortunately, scientists are stepping in with a new advancement in ophthalmology.
Ophthalmologists at Columbia University are believed to have discovered a solution to cure patients that have keratoconus, a severe visual impairment that only contact lenses can correct. Keratoconus is a blinding disease that affects as many as one in 435 people, in which the cornea of the eye becomes so thin that light cannot properly pass through to the retina, creating a distorted image. Ophthalmologists at Columbia University believe that administering a solution of sodium nitrite ions to the eye could strengthen the cornea, preventing its further deterioration. This method of “eyeball stiffening” can also treat patients with severe nearsightedness, or other cornea-related eye diseases.
Though the sodium nitrite method of eyeball stiffening has not been tested, similar methods do work. German scientists discovered that applying a solution fixed with ultraviolet light to the eyeball successfully strengthens the cornea. But since UV light is harmful, this method didn’t receive FDA approval. The sodium nitrite solution, however, is considered safe enough for patients to apply it themselves. This discovery could be the future of eye care for patients with keratoconus, correcting vision where glasses, contacts, and even Lasik surgery cannot.
Give the Gift of Sight claims in their mission statement: "Clear vision is a basic right, not a luxury." It is our human right to see clearly, whether we are born with an eye disease, or if we live in a place where eye care is not accessible. Volunteers are reaching out to provide corrective lenses to those who cannot afford them, and scientists are stepping in to offer solutions in cases where glasses or contact lenses will not suffice. There is a collaborative effort to bring the gift of sight –the gift of a better life - to all people.
