Vision is considered one of the most important and essential senses for carrying out most of the activities we do daily. However, in Bogotá the outlook is discouraging in terms of the number of visual health professionals. THE NEW CENTURY He spoke about it with experts from the San Martín University Foundation, the Colombian Optometric Association of Orthoptic and Pleoptic Visual Therapy (ORTOS); and the Volunteer Optometras Foundation of Colombia.
Panorama in Bogota
Dr. Sandra Cecilia Mariño, director of the new Optometry program at the San Martín University Foundation, pointed out that, from the perspective of training visual health professionals, Colombia has 10 higher education programs in optometry, 5 of them located in Bogotá .
“However, it is evident that there is a large number of optometrists who have learned the exercise empirically and are unaware of the existence of professional academic programs that can provide more tools to practice their profession. According to the Colombian Association of Faculties and Optometry Programs of Colombia (Ascofaop) there are only 5,368 optometrists graduated between 1972 and 2012”, warned Dr. Mariño.
On the other hand, figures consulted to the Ministry of Education by THE NEW CENTURY show a history of 3,696 graduates in programs related to Ophthalmology (Medical-Surgical Specialization) and Optometry (University) that are broken down as follows:
The specialization in oncological ophthalmology registers 4 graduates, the specialty in ophthalmology corresponds to 39 graduates, the specialization in ophthalmology represents 389 professionals and, finally, optometry indicates a total of 3,264 graduates.
Stella Jiménez, president of the ORTOS Association, asserted that health care services regarding visual therapy are scarce both in the EPS and in the State.
“The panorama is very poor, the estimate of visual therapy in Bogotá is very low, I would say that it does not exceed 15 professionals who are registered with all the regulations in order,” he said.
How is visual health in the country?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, more than 2,200 million people in the world registered some type of visual impairment or blindness and at least 1,000 million presented a visual impairment that could have been avoided or not yet have been treated, a panorama that raises the need for greater coverage and availability of professionals dedicated to preventing, diagnosing, treating and correcting any type of disease associated with the eyes.
Colombia does not escape this reality, because according to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in the country there are only 0.76 optometrists for every 10,000 inhabitants. This, in addition to being an important challenge for the health sector, is an opportunity for young people who are looking to study a professional program that ensures a good job projection.
For Dr. Mariño, who has more than 14 years of experience in higher education, one of the main challenges facing the optometry sector in Colombia is being able to work hand in hand with the academy to generate more programs with high quality standards. and thus, allow the optometrist to become part of multidisciplinary health teams.
“We must move towards an optometry that reaches all regions of the country and not only the big cities, it must be an innovative and relevant optometry that not only addresses the current visual health needs of the population, but also promotes strategies of prevention and care,” he added.
Among the main visual deficiencies that Colombians suffer today are myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia, without neglecting those problems that have worsened due to the excessive use of digital screens, such as the eyes red eyes, dry eyes and visual fatigue; affectations that over time can increase the chances of suffering refractive errors such as myopia.
“Using screens requires us not to blink, an action that if not done will have a significant impact on our vision. Therefore, it is essential to consult the visual health professional regularly, in order to obtain therapeutic and visual hygiene recommendations that promote the care of our eyes”, emphasized Mariño.
The role of institutions, associations and foundations
The Fundación Optómetras Voluntarios de Colombia, a non-profit organization, offers Optometry students the opportunity to participate in the humanitarian visual health brigades that the foundation has carried out in the national territories for 15 years.
“Thus, these future vision professionals can learn first-hand about the visual needs of Colombians who live in the national territories and who often do not have access to this service. This sensitizes young people positively, they acquire new skills and abilities in carrying out and practicing the clinical examination, due to the large number of patients that the foundation attends in each brigade and who undergo an exhaustive and complete examination of the organ of vision. ”, officials explained to THE NEW CENTURY.
On the other hand, he also explained the Institution’s contribution to the visual health sector in Bogotá and the country.
“Our new Optometry program in Bogotá has the support of the Faculty of Health Sciences of San Martín, which will allow the future optometrist to have comprehensive training, as well as an interdisciplinary vision that will help him strengthen his field of labor action. In the same way, this educational proposal has a marked focus on the family and the community that seeks to guarantee the insertion of students in real environments, thus contributing to improving the deficit of visual health professionals that our country has today, “he said.
Recommendations for visual health
Dr. Mariño, in addition to recommending visiting the optometrist at least once a year, points out the importance of taking active breaks during work days in front of a screen, such as computers, tablets or cell phones.
“A practical exercise is to follow the 20 – 20 – 20 rule; for every 20 minutes of work, take a 20-second break by looking at an object 20 feet away (approximately 6 meters),” he explained.
He concluded, recalling that the optical correction used by people, be they glasses or contact lenses, must be formulated by a visual health professional. Similarly, it is important to keep in mind not to self-medicate under any circumstances.