Vision and hearing care
Instruction
In this topic you will learn about vision and hearing care.
Problems with vision and hearing
Some children are unable to see or hear as well as others. Some are unable to see or hear at all.
Children can have problems with vision or hearing or both.
Problems can occur for many reasons. These include:
- Diseases or health conditions
- Infections in the eyes or ears
- Damage to the eyes or ears.
Prevention and care
Most eye and ear health problems can be avoided or helped with:
- Lifestyle changes
- Medical treatment
- Assistive products
- Rehabilitation.
Instruction
For more information on how most eye or ear health problems can be prevented or managed, refer to the WHO health promotion materials in the Vision and hearing screening for school-age children implementation handbook.
Question
The main areas of prevention and care include:
a. Lifestyle changes
b. Medical treatment
c. Assistive products
d. Rehabilitation
Match the following activities to the correct area of prevention and care by writing the letter a, b, c or d in the box.
a. Playing outside to maintain healthy eyes
c. Spectacles or hearing aids
d. Learning how to use sign language or braille
b. Medicines for infections or emergency care for eye and ear injuries
Discussion
What services exist near you, for the following needs:
- Emergency eye or ear care
- Treatment of eye or ear infections
- Provision of spectacles or hearing aids.
Prevention and care may be more successful if:
- Children, families, teachers and communities are included in awareness activities on the importance of eye and ear health
- Families are able to access an appointment with eye or ear care personnel quickly, if the need for referral is identified. Prompt treatment can avoid problems getting worse.