Head of Programme Operations at Sightsavers Adelaide Addo-Fening, with Arvel Grant of the Caribbean Council for the Blind. © Caribbean Council for the Blind

Baroness Floella Benjamin speaks in the Caribbean

Sightsavers partner, the Caribbean Council for the Blind/Eye Care Caribbean (CCB), held its General Meeting in Trinidad earlier this year. CCB Member Agencies from across the Caribbean met to discuss key development issues including blindness prevention, social entrepreneurship, cost recovery, website development, web-based fundraising and project development and expansion.

Baroness Floella Benjamin, the first female Trinidadian Peer in the House of Lords, was CCB's special guest and the meeting was officially opened by the First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards. Speakers also included Sightsavers Director of Programmes, Adelaide Addo-Fening.

At the opening ceremony for the meeting the Baroness praised the work of CCB while calling on regional governments to play their part in fight against blindness.

Much to be done

"There is far too much blindness and low vision in the Caribbean, there is much work to be done to educate and influence families and especially children and young people on the way their diet can have an effect on their health, and that includes their vision."

She said one way of addressing the problem is by a simple change in lifestyle especially among children.

"Foods high in carbohydrates, sugars and fats can cause diabetes and other major health problems which can have a direct effect on your sight and this can lead to blindness. This simple change in lifestyle, that has to be addressed early, comes with education" the Baroness noted.

In stating that there was need for more eye health resources, Baroness Benjamin said CCB has been moving in the right direction with the creation of the degree course in Optometry at the University of Guyana.

 "The Degree course is such an excellent move and hopefully by 2014 more universities across the Caribbean will come on board and this will fill the service gap in the region."

Tackling diabetes

Baroness Benjamin, who is also the Chancellor at the University of Exeter, said the University of Exeter is currently leading the way in finding the causes of diabetes.

"This work is ongoing and hopefully will not just benefit the UK but the work being done by the CCB in the Caribbean and beyond." she said.

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in the Caribbean. More than 75% of people who have had diabetes mellitus for more than 20 years will have some form of diabetic retinopathy. After 15 years of diabetes, approximately 2% of people become blind, and about 10% develop severe visual impairment.