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L Pizzarello

Publications and source records attributed to L Pizzarello.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Models for improving cataract surgical rates in southern China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Unoperated cataract is the main challenge to blindness reduction in China. This demonstration project in Guangdong Province was designed to test various strategies to improve the cataract surgical rate. METHODS: Two strategies (reduction of the cataract surgical fee and training of country doctors in the detection of cataract blindness) were implemented in each of two counties. Both interventions were introduced in a third county. RESULTS: The cataract surgery rate (CSR) per million was 366 in the county where training took place, 588 where the fee was lowered, and 1140 where both interventions took place. The improvement in CSR was highly significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In southern China, CSR can be increased with community based measures. Sustainability for such measures will be the major future challenge.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

A new school-based program to provide eyeglasses: childsight.

OBJECTIVE: To address the unmet need for glasses encountered in an urban school setting by developing and implementing a school-based, cost-effective program that provides appropriate spectacle correction to needy children. METHODS: A total of 5851 students 9 to 15 years of age in 4 middle schools in northern Manhattan were screened for vision. Those with vision worse than 20/40 were examined, given glasses if appropriate, or referred for additional evaluation. RESULTS: Of the 5851 children screened, 1614 (28%) had a failing result, with visual acuity less than 20/40 in the worse eye. Of this group, 1082 were given glasses that were assembled at the school within 1 hour of testing. Ten percent of the group that required glasses already had them, and the remaining were referred for a complete ophthalmic examination that was completed in 58 cases. Only 14 of these had vision loss unrelated to refractive error. CONCLUSIONS: The program successfully treated 88.3% of the children within the school who needed glasses. Given that only 10% of children who needed glasses had them, it indicates a huge need to provide glasses to at least a million children in this age group in the United States.

Adolescent↗