Guidelines For Development of Messages For Prevention of Blindness

14 AECS Illumination
Community Ophthalmology
Guidelines for Development of Messages for

Prevention of Blindness
* K. Kaliyaperumal, Matt Sieving
Introduction
consists of what is actually communicated including
“One of the basic human rights is the right to see.
the actual appeals, words, pictures and sounds that
We have to ensure that no citizen goes blind
we use to get the ideas across.
needlessly, or being blind, does not remain so, if, by
A message will may be effective, if the advice
reasonable deployment of skill and resources, his sight
presented is simple, clear, relevant appropriate,
can be prevented from deterioration, or if already
acceptable and put across in an understandable way.
lost, can be restored.” –
“Ophthalmology is our profession, prevention of Characteristics of a Successful Message
blindness is our business” – Pararajasegaram.
Health education plays an important role in creating
As the 20th Century comes to a close, every five
awareness about eye health problems and also about
seconds one person goes blind, and a child goes blind
the availability of service. For effective health
every minute. Seven million people go blind each
education, health messages are extremely important.
year. If national and international efforts to avert
Key Message should have the following
blindness are not intensified, the number of people
characteristics:
with severe visual disability will double by the year
· Simple
2020. There are currently 45 million blind people in
· Clear
the world, and 135 million visually impaired people.
· Need-Based and Relevant
Of these, the largest numbers are in India, which has
· Objective and Unbiased
a blind population of 14.7 million. Nine of the ten
· Provide Options
who are blind live in developing countries. 70% of
· Consistent
the world’s blindness is due to cataracts. All of these
· Accurate
are preventable if treated in time. Fully 80% of the
· Positive
world’s blindness is avoidable, and therefore
· Linked to Service Delivery and
needless. Blindness reduces an individual’s quality
· Lead to Action
of life and has enormous implications for the world
as a whole. General Approach for development of
The National Program for the Control of health education messages:
Blindness was launched in 1976. The major obstacles
Health Education messages are developed based on
in efforts to reduce the burden of blindness are the
KAP study findings in the Community. Messages
lack of adequate health care infrastructure,
will need to be tailored for cultural acceptability,
appropriate human resources, adequate funds, and
literacy levels, available infrastructure, and for their
insufficient awareness.
specific target audience. Messages will be delivered
Awareness creation and service provision can
by a variety of channels and packaged in many
help overcome these obstacles. This is only possible
different forms. Keeping this in mind, the following
with the aid of a successful awareness creation
specific guidelines may be followed when developing
program, which requires the effective communication
a message.
messages on eye care programs. The message
* I.E.C Expert, Diabetic Retinopathy Project, Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology
Vol. III, No. 3, July - Sep 2003 15
Messages should be Need-Based and and survived, or to adopt a fatalistic attitude,

Relevant sometimes avoiding seeking medical care altogether.
Messages should be tailored to the needs in the Example: 1) Cataract operations are safe and
community, revealed by a KAP or other appropriate highly effective! 2) Glaucoma can be cured!
study. For example, if it were found that the primary Appropriate treatment can reduce the risk. 3) Thanks
cause of diabetic retinopathy is unknown in the for not smoking!
community, an appropriate message would be Messages should be Objective
1. Diabetic retinopathy is often symptomless until
deterioration of vision occurs. Moral messages that condemn a particular behavior
2. All diabetes should have periodic eye examination will only succeed in turning away the people you are
by an eye doctor. trying to reach by causing a defensive mental reaction.
3. Early detection and laser treatment significantly Messages such as “Smoking and alcohol are bad for
reduces risk of vision. your health” are not objective, as they condemn these
4. Duration of diabetes is more important than control behaviors without justification. Messages should
of blood sugar. provide unbiased information and allow readers to
5. Diabetes affects heart, eye, kidney, brain and form their own opinions.
limbs. Example: Smoking and alcohol consumption
6. Laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy is increase the chance of developing diabetic
preventative, not restorative. Have your eyes retinopathy. Follow-up after surgery is essential to
examined regularly. get the best outcome.
Messages should be Consistent and Messages Should Provide Options

Accurate When dealing with difficult to change behavior
To effectively prevent blindness, all sectors of society patterns it is helpful, and more effective, to provide
need to get involved. This includes Ministries of the individual with options for action. When eye-
Health, Education, social welfare, NGOs, and the care services are being provided, messages about
Private Sector. To be effective, all of these players these services should contain information on all
should agree on the same basic message, which is available surgeries and procedures.
consistentance and accurate. Example: The Aravind Eye Hospital has facilities
Example: 1) 80% of the world’s blindness is for both IOL and PHACO operations to cure
preventable.2) Cataracts are preventable. 3) Girls Cataract.
need cataract surgery just as much as boys. 4) After Messages should be Linked to Service
childhood surgery, it is essential to have follow-ups Delivery
for many years.
If you are creating awareness about eye health care
Messages should be Positive services, centres must be available to provide
The aim of blindness prevention communications is treatment for various eye diseases and information
to help people to live with the fact that blindness on how to prevent them. Messages about these
exists here in India, and to understand that they have services should contain information not only about
the power to protect themselves. Positive messages the appropriate treatment for a disease, but also the
are more effective at achieving this goal than the availability of that treatment.
fear messages. Fear messages do not work in the Example: Laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy
long run. Although they may provide short-term is available in the Aravind Eye Care System and
improvement, satisfactory behavior change rarely Government hospital also.
results. Causing fear may cause people to deny that Messages should Lead to Action
they are at risk, rationalize by pointing to others who
have practiced similar health threatening behaviors Messages should educate people about what blindness
16 AECS Illumination
control is, and what actions can be avoided or awareness creation, in turn, depends on the content
undertaken to prevent blindness. Messages should and format of the messages that will be spread in the
lead the individual to some form of action. population. Through the following of the above-
Example: 1) Timely treatment prevents detailed guidelines, successful Key Messages can
blindness. 2) Glaucoma can usually be prevented with be written, thereby increasing the likelihood of a
eye drops and medication. 3) Rubella vaccinations successful implementation of the prevention of
can prevent rubella cataract, a leading cause of blindness programme.
childhood blindness. 4) Keeping children’s faces clean
will help reduce eye diseases. [Trachoma] References
1. John Hubley, Communicating Health: An
Conclusion action guide to Health education and health
The success of the Vision 2020 Project depends in promotion. 1993
large part on its ability to create awareness of the 2. L. Ramachandran and T.Dharmalingam,
various eye-diseases that it aims to treat. The Health Education: A new approach.2002

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14 AECS Illumination

Guidelines for Development of Messages for

Messages should be Need-Based and and survived, or to adopt a fatalistic attitude,

Messages should be Consistent and Messages Should Provide Options

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