Primary eye care (PEC) is an integral part of our comprehensive eye care and it is our frontline activity mainly to assess the overall eye health and providing care to identify the disease before it becomes a serious medical condition. Primary Eye Care is targeted towards preventing blindness and visual impairment, also towards providing services to redress ocular morbidity.
Components of primary eye care
History taking & Symptom analysis
Visual acuity measurement
Basic eye examination
Diagnosis
Investigation & Management
Eye health education
Primary eye care services include the following:
Performing a holistic examination of the visual system.
Screening for eye diseases and conditions affecting vision that may be asymptomatic. [eg Glaucoma]
Accurate refraction
Recognizing ocular manifestations of systemic diseases and systemic effects of ocular medications.
Fitting and prescribing optical aids such as glasses and contact lenses.
Deciding on a treatment plan and treating patients’ eye care needs with appropriate therapies.
Counselling and educating patients about their eye disease conditions.
Recognizing and managing local and systemic effects of drug therapy.
Coordinating care with other physicians involved in the patient’s overall medical management.
Following up with patients to monitor their compliance to our advice.
Primary eye care incomplete without educating patients about maintaining and promoting healthy vision.