Village Integrated Eye Workers Trial (VIEW)
This research project started in 2014 in collaboration with University of California San Francisco, F.I.Proctor Foundation, SEVA foundation and Bharatpur Eye Hospital. Starting from the year 2014, VIEW has implemented different phase of its study activities (VIEW-I, VIEW-II Pilot, VIEW-II Screening, VIEW-II Follow-up Exam, VIEW-II Extension- on going and Cure blindness Prevention program- ongoing). VIEW-I and VIEW-II Pilot is already completed and some of the papers have been published. Study area includes Chitwan district (Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Kalika Municipality, Khairahani Municipality, Ratnanagar Municipality and Nawalpur District (Gaidakot Municipality, Devchuli Municipality, Kawasoti Municipality, Hupsekot Rural Municipality, Madhyabindu Municipality and Binaya Triveni East Rural Municipality).
VIEW-II Follow-up Exam:
VIEW-II Follow-up Exam was initially the wrap up exam of VIEW-II screening started from June 2023. Later for the objective of longitudinal follow-up this phase was conducted as Follow-up exam as the continuation of the baseline screening conducted in 2019. A repeat census was conducted in all clusters 4years after implementation of the screening intervention. Census workers update vital status and demographic data collected at baseline and added all new community members. Visual acuity was assessed for all participants ≥50 years old following the same procedures employed at baseline. Participants who had pinhole visual acuity worse than logMAR 0.48 (Snellen equivalent 20/60) in either eye at the time of the final census were offered an eye examination consisting of VA/refraction, IOP assessment, visual field assessment and anterior and posterior segment visualization at the community, performed by a trained team of optometrist and ophthalmic assistant masked to treatment assignment.
Statistics: July 16, 2024- April 14, 2025)
Census Progress:
• Total people enumerated2,43,391
• Total people 60 years and
above- 31,384
• Total people whose VA has
been taken- 25,107
Screening Progress:
• Total people enrolled- 2315
• Total people referred-1571
• Total people attended
referral visit- 450
Cureblindness Project (Blindness Prevention Program):
This aim to find the effectiveness of Female Community Volunteers (FCHVs) in preventing corneal blindness due to trauma. This was a three years study which ended in 2017 with the result that FCHVs intervention was effective in reducing corneal opacities due to ocular trauma in the rural communities than peri- urban or urban communities. Latter since September 2017 SightLife took this research as a corneal prevention program, where trained 117 FCHVs from 12 VDCs (Kathar, Kumroj, Birendranagar, Amarapuri, Pragatinagar, Devchuli, Agyauli, Deurali, Dhaubadi, Narayani, Nayabelhani and Kolhuwa) are involved in detecting and treating corneal abrasion due to trauma with prophylactic antibiotic ointment in their communities and appropriate referrals to eye care centers or eye hospitals. FCHVs are also trained to identify potential blinding diseases in the community and they take visual acuity with Snellen’s chart. Four field supervisors involved in monitoring those FCHVs. The HCP and SighLife International merged to create a new program called Cureblindness Project.
