Burden and depression in the caregivers of blind patients in India.

PURPOSE: Several studies have examined the rates of depression in caregivers of patients with debilitating neurologic diseases. This study describes the degree of burden and the prevalence of depression among individuals caring for legally blind patients. To the best of our knowledge, no prior studies in the ophthalmic literature have reported this relationship. DESIGN: Clinic-based, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: We included 522 individuals in Rampur, India, providing care to their close family relatives who were legally blind. Visual acuities varied from 20/200 in the best eye, to no light perception (NLP) in each eye. METHODS: Several surveys were completed by the caregivers of patients whose sole impairment was visual, allowing us to quantitatively and selectively assess burden and depression among caregivers of blind patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Burden Index of Caregivers (BIC) was used to measure care burden and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale was applied to determine depression. RESULTS: Caregivers of patients with NLP experience higher burden than caregivers of patients with lesser degrees of blindness. Daily hours spent on close supervision and the intensity of care-giving were the definitive factors linked to high BIC scores (P<0.01). The prevalence of caregiver depression increased with degree of visual impairment from 16% in the 20/200 group to 48% in the NLP cohort (P<0.01). Independently related variables for depression in caregivers were daily hours required for close supervision of the patient, intensity of care-giving, low household income, and the caregiver being the parent of a blind adult child (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Severity of blindness in patients directly correlated with burden in caregivers. More severe forms of blindness meant patients require more help with their activities of daily living and additional hours of close supervision per day, both of which increase care burden. The same 2 factors also increase risk of caregiver depression along with low household income and the caregiver being the parent of a blind adult child. Awareness of the extent of burden and depression among caregivers of blind individuals is required by vision health personnel to identify at risk caregivers and implement effective interventions and support strategies.

An end in sight for avoidable blindness.

This article reports on the experiences of nurse volunteers who help treat avoidable eye conditions among the world's poorest people.

Low vision and blindness among midlife and older adults: a review of the nursing research literature.

The number of midlife and older adults with visual impairment is expected to double by the mid-2020s. There has been little research on low vision and blindness in the nursing literature to date. Existing studies tended to be qualitative and preliminary in nature and most had small sample sizes. The risk of visual impairment increases with age and is a common comorbidity among the aged chronically ill.

Retinopathy of prematurity: an eye toward better outcomes.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) results from the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the vascular bed supporting the developing retina. Estimated to cause up to 500 new cases of blindness in the U.S. each year, ROP affects primarily infants born at less than 1,500 g. Although its etiology is not well understood, ROP is thought to occur as a result of a complex interaction between oxygen and vascular growth factors. This article briefly reviews the history of ROP, discusses its pathophysiology, and addresses the risk factors and strategies for prevention.

12 Components of a Strong Vision Health System of Care: Components 1 and 2-Family Education and Comprehensive Communication/Approval Process.

The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness partnered with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to provide guidance for school nurses responsible for screening the vision of preschool and K-12 students. Goals of this national partnership are to (1) standardize approaches to vision health, (2) facilitate follow up to eye care for students who do not pass vision screening, (3) provide family/caregiver friendly educational information, and (4) consult with leading pediatric eye care experts to promote evidence-based best practices. The NCCVEH/NASN partnership created a Vision and Eye Health page on the NASN website ( https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/practice-topics/vision-health ). This resource is organized according to the 12 Components of a Strong Vision Health System of Care. The 12 components emerged as the NCCVEH considered vision screening from a systems perspective. This systems perspective addresses key activities along the entire spectrum of care that supports a child's vision health-beginning with parent/caregiver education and ending with an annual evaluation of the school's vision health system. Each of these 12 components will be described in 4 installments of NASN School Nurse in 2019. This installment describes the first two components: Family Education and a Comprehensive Communication/Approval Process.

["...cause in such a big hospital ... visually impaired persons like me, alone, can't get anywhere"--the experience of visually impaired people of the in-patient care--an empirical, explorative study]. / "...weil in so einer grossen Klinik, ... kann ich alleine als Blinde nichts ausrichten."--Das Erleben blinder oder hochgradig sehbeeinträchtigter Menschen im Krankenhaus--eine empirische, explorative Untersuchung.

The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of people with visual impairment within in-patient care. Actually, in nursing literature, no similar research is known in the German speaking area. Therefore, an qualitative research framework was used. By using a convenience sampling eight participants have been chosen. Mainly, the thematic content analysis of Burnard has been applied to the analysis of the empirical data. Mental spatial concepts for orientation, primarily acoustically made communicative resonance fields, and Action techniques constitute three major topics, which have been categorised in this study. These concepts are discussed in the cause of the research with respect to their implications on nursing care.

Communicating with a deafblind person in an emergency.

Deafblind UK is the association of deafblind and dual sensory impaired people in the UK. This paper presents advice on the best way to communicate with people who are disabled in this way, particularly in an emergency.

Vision and vision loss.

To provide supportive and effective care to people who must adapt to blindness or visual impairment, nurses and other health care professionals have a responsibility to be knowledgeable about the unique effect of ophthalmic disorders on the body, spirit, and mind. It is also evident that nurses must clearly understand their own emotions and social reactions to blindness and visual loss so that they can more clearly assist their clients through adaptation.

The young adult with recent vision loss: a pilot case study.

When in the full course of a sighted life an individual becomes blind, it is an end of that sighted life. However it comes, it is the end to a way of life that had become part of that person. It is the end of familiar methods of doing things. Carroll (1961) believes that it is naive, if not superficial, to think of blindness as a blow to the eyes only, to sight only. He believes that it is a destructive blow to the self-image which one has carefully, though unconsciously, constructed throughout the lifetime.

Case management: managing financial and clinical outcomes in ophthalmic nursing.

Case management is emerging in nursing as an effective and cost efficient model of care delivery for patients with complex nursing, medical, and psychosocial needs. The term "case management" first appeared in the social welfare literature in the early seventies and then later appeared in nursing literature (ANA, 1988). Nursing's concept of case management has been defined and interpreted to fit various health care settings. The purpose of this paper is to address a case management model and demonstrate through a case study how the case management model benefits the patient, the health care team, and the health care agency.

[Project for supporting visually handicapped aged persons: developing a guide for the community of Münster]. / Projekt zur Unterstützung sehbehinderter alter Menschen: "Entwicklung eines Ratgebers für den kommunalen Bereich Münster".

In this paper we wish to outline both the function and the role of projects as part of a course in "Nursing Education" (Pflegepädagogik) at the Fachhochschule Münster, as well as to present a specific project which has enabled the students to gain experience in project management and qualitative research. The project target group were visually handicapped old people for whom a guide was produced as a health promotion strategy within the framework of governmental health objectives in the state of Northrhine-Westfalia.

Chronic complications.

With proper education and careful management, patients with diabetes can minimize painful and debilitating complications. Here's how you can help them live healthier lives following diagnosis.