Vision Loss by cause and ethnicity
100%
Refractive Error/Other
80%
Diabetic Retinopathy
60%
Cataract
40%
AMD
20%
0%
Glaucoma
All
Ethnicities
Visible
Minority
This leaves a large segment of the
population not receiving basic care.
“We are committed to raising
awareness about eyecare in general
as well as UV protection,” said Solis,
adding many minorities do not take
the steps to protect themselves against
the sun which can lead to unnecessary
damage. “With Canada’s cooler climate,
there is a false sense of security.”
Education
ECPs need to educate themselves
not just on the latest trends, but on
the best way to care for patients with
diverse backgrounds.
“We believe in the importance
of education,” said Solis adding the
number of patients ECPs will see
from different backgrounds is going
to increase significantly over the next
few years as immigrant and migration
continues within Canada and the US.
“Patients are not going to be the
same as they were even two or three
years ago. It’s important that ECPs
better connect with patients through
language, understanding and offering
different ways of communicating,”
said Solis. “Cultural competency will
become more important.” •
8
OPTICAL PRISM | DIGITAL SUPPLEMENT | FEBRUARY 2014
Caucasian
Know!!!
Did You
There are many cultural differences for specific eye conditions.
For example:
• Older (60+) visible minority women have the highest rates of
cataract while elderly visible minority males have the lowest
rates.
• Men from visible minority populations have high rates of
glaucoma.
• Caucasians are more likely to have vision loss from AMD than
African-Canadians, while the reverse is true for refractive error.
• Chinese-Canadians have double the rate of AMD compared to
Caucasians and may have twice the rate of diabetic retinopathy.
Chinese-Canadian children are more likely to experience
nearsightedness than children who are Cauasian.
• Aboriginal Canadians have higher rates of diabetic retinopathy.
Inuit populations have much higher rates of primary open-angle
glaucoma.
These variations reflect differences in treatment access and
genetic factors.
Data Courtesy: The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada CNIB/Canadian Opthalmological Society