The machine consists of a microscope fitted with a camera, which is mounted on a chair. It will be used to examine outpatients suffering from cataracts so that recommendations regarding cataract removals can be made.

The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pretoria and the Gauteng Department of Health established the Vision 20/20 Clinic, a public private partnership, to perform cataract surgery at a district hospital, the Pretoria West Hospital. They serve a large population in Tshwane and the surrounding areas in the Gauteng Province.

Vision 20/20, a global initiative aimed at eliminating preventable blindness, is a joint programme of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and was established many years ago. The term ‘20/20 vision’ expresses normal visual acuity, ie the ability to see objects clearly from a distance of approximately seven metres. In other words, 20/20 vision is considered to be ‘normal vision’.

According to the WHO, about 80% of blindness is preventable since it results from conditions that could either have been prevented, or controlled by way of interventions such as cataract removals.

According to Mr Herman Kluever, Manager of the Vision 20/20 Eye Care Clinic at the Pretoria West Hospital, the equipment will assist in the prevention of blindness. He said that about half of the approximately 15 million blind people in the country have been cured through cataract removal. Having advanced examination equipment of this kind is therefore of vital importance to the Ophthalmic Unit. Mr Kluever added that the purchasing of the machine will ease the pressure on doctors who attend to mostly elderly patients using only one machine. Students currently receiving training at the Vision 20/20 Eye Care Clinic will also benefit from the availability of an extra machine.

The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Eric Buch, said that while it is very costly to be examined by doctors using this kind of equipment at a private institution, the Vision 20/20 Eye Care Clinic at the Pretoria West Hospital serves the poorest of the poor at practically no cost. He added that ‘the close partnership between the University of Pretoria and the Gauteng Department of Health has played a pivotal role in efforts to provide health care of excellent quality to the poor people of South Africa, and the availability of an additional machine will ensure that the goal is realised’.

Mr John Marsden, the national Sales Director at PPS Insurance, and Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences Prof Eric Buch, standing next to the existing ophthalmic examination equipment at the Vision 20/20 Eye Care Unit.

From left to right Mr Herman Kluever from Vision 20/20 Eye Care Unit, Mr Johan Kluys from PPS Insurance, Mr Wimpie Mouton from PPS Insurance, Mr John Marsden (National Sales Director at PPS Insurance, and the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof Eric Buch).