The ability to see deeply affects how human beings perceive and interpret the world around them. For most people, eyesight is part of everyday communication, social activities, educational and professional pursuits, the care of others, and the maintenance of personal health, independence, and mobility. Functioning eyes and vision system can reduce an adult's risk of chronic health conditions, death, falls and injuries, social isolation, depression, and other psychological problems. In children, properly maintained eye and vision health contributes to a child's social development, academic achievement, and better health across the lifespan. The public generally recognizes its reliance on sight and fears its loss, but emphasis on eye and vision health, in general, has not been integrated into daily life to the same extent as other health promotion activities, such as teeth brushing; hand washing; physical and mental exercise; and various injury prevention behaviors. A larger population health approach is needed to engage a wide range of stakeholders in coordinated efforts that can sustain the scope of behavior change. The shaping of socioeconomic environments can eventually lead to new social norms that promote eye and vision health. Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow proposes a new population-centered framework to guide action and coordination among various, and sometimes competing, stakeholders in pursuit of improved eye and vision health and health equity in the United States. Building on the momentum of previous public health efforts, this report also introduces a model for action that highlights different levels of prevention activities across a range of stakeholders and provides specific examples of how population health strategies can be translated into cohesive areas for action at federal, state, and local levels.

The medical specialty of primary care addresses the basic and fundamental healthcare needs of individuals, the family, and the larger community. Its reach starts at pre-conception and extends to global health and medical issues. Primary care issues include chronic medical problems, surgery, and community-wide health threats such as worldwide global pandemics, terrorism in all of its forms, and domestic violence. This book reviews eight topics including chronic medical issues like chronic fatigue syndrome, the response of primary care clinicians to global pandemics, and how patients and physicians are symbolized in comics. From top experts in the field, this book will improve your ability to practice primary care and to appreciate the broad demands placed upon primary care clinicians.

This book covers sports-related eye injuries, presenting standard processes to enable clinical practitioners to make appropriate decisions on the management of these patients. Sports-related activities are responsible for a large percentage of ocular injuries, particularly among young people, and can even lead to blindness. Given the increasing trend in these injuries and the potential functional loss they entail, it is important to understand how to prevent and to accurately diagnose and treat them. This book discusses the definition, etiology, clinical presentations and signs, treatment, and prevention of sports-related eye injuries, and includes typical clinical cases, together with a wealth of images and illustrative figures. Offering a systematic and symptom-based guide to clinical practice, it will help clinical practitioners to fully prepare for the various challenges posed by sports-related eye injuries.

Each year the improvements in communication and transportation, the growing awarness that the resources of this earth are finite, the realization that the population explosion in any part of the world is a concern of all, and the increased economic interdependence of all countries, have increased importance of internationalism as opposed to nationalism. One of the first segments of our society to ignore political and geographic boundaries was that of medicine, particularly in the field of communicable diseases. Valient efforts have been made by some individuals at great personal sacrifice and by individual societies or organizations to prevent and cure blindness and to rehabilitate those who have lost their sight. Only recently, however, have such efforts been consolidated into a major international force. In 1969 the 22nd World Health Assembly of WHO adapted a resolution requesting the Director-General to undertake a study on the information which is at pre sent available on the extent and/or causes of preventable and curable blind ness. In 1972 a working group was convened by the World Health Organiza tion in Geneva to outline an attack on the prevention of blindness. At the Paris meeting of the International Congress of Ophthalmology in July of 1974, Mr. JOHN WILSON, who for many years had been one of the leaders in the prevention and cure of blindness on an international basis through his organization of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, was elected President of the International Association for Prevention of Blindness.

This unique book is a comprehensive coverage of the epidemiology of the world's major blinding eye diseases, written by internationally acclaimed experts in each field. Edited by world-renowned epidemiologists and ophthalmologists, the chapters on each leading cause of blindness describe its biology, epidemiology, risk factors, clinical trials, possibilities for prevention, and new research avenues. New chapters include Research Synthesis, Epidemiology of Dry Eye Disease, and Epidemiology of Uveitis, as well as programme issues for reaching the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by 2020.This book is essential for any eye care practitioner interested in the causation or prevention of disease, and should be part of any public health discipline's library with a focus on improving eye health worldwide.

Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

Micronutrient malnutrition affects approximately 2 billion people worldwide. The adverse effects of micronutrient deficiencies are profound and include premature death, poor health, blindness, growth stunting, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and low work capacity. Preventing Micronutrient Deficiencies provides a conceptual framework based on past experience that will allow funders to tailor programs to existing regional/country capabilities and to incorporate within these programs the capacity to address multiple strategies (i.e., supplementation/fortification/food-based approaches/public health measures) and multiple micronutrient deficiencies. The book does not offer recommendations on how to alleviate specific micronutrient deficienciesâ€"such recommendations are already available through the publications of diverse organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Micronutrient Initiative, World Bank, United Nations Childrens' Fund, and the World Health Organization. Instead, this volume examines key elements in the design and implementation of micronutrient interventions, including such issues as: The importance of iron, vitamin A, and iodine to health. Populations at risk for micronutrient deficiency. Options for successful interventions and their cost. The feasibility of involving societal sectors in the planning and implementation of interventions. Characteristics of successful interventions. The book also contains three in-depth background papers that address the prevention of deficiencies of iron, vitamin A, and iodine.

About 4% of the world population has visual impairment or blindness. This book is aimed at addressing different causes of visual impairment and blindness, their epidemiology, manifestations, risk factors, prevention of progression, and treatment. It is aimed at encouraging physicians and researchers to increase efforts to prevent irreversible and treat reversible blindness for the betterment of the world. Therefore, it is essential to be fully aware and knowledgeable of the manifestations of the diseases causing blindness, and this book covers some of their different aspects. Each chapter was written by experts from around the globe. Thus, it reflects the importance of the subject.