Research for VISION 2020

We need good quality information to be able to carry out our eye care programmes in support of VISION 2020, to measure (and improve) our performance, and to advocate for the resources and support we need to succeed. Much of this information can be collected, analysed, and used as part of our daily work, as many of the articles in this issue show

Ten years to VISION 2020: why information matters

Why do we collect information in our eye care programmes? One important reason is that we use information to enhance our knowledge and then apply that knowledge to improve what we do.Information is the first step in a process of learning and improvement that enables us to make better decisions, improve the systems and places we work in, and enhance the quality of our own individual work

Ten years to VISION 2020: how are we doing?

We have just passed the halfway mark for the VISION 2020 global initiative, which was launched in 1999 with the goal to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. This is a good time to take stock of what we have achieved and what still needs to be done

Contributing to achieve the goal of VISION 2020

Most readers of the Community Eye Health Journal will have heard of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), but they may not be aware of exactly what the organisation does and how it functions. The purpose of this article is to give a brief overview of what IAPB does and how it contributes to the elimination of avoidable blindness in the world

Microcalorimetric studies of bacterial growth

Klebsiella aerogenes has been grown in carbon-limited chemostats and the heat output of different steady states measured by pumping the culture through an LKB flow microcalorimeter. Initially the flow time between fermentor and microcalorimeter cell was 5 minutes during which time the steady-state conditions of the chemostat were disturbed and the measured heat output was less than that in the fermentor. To minimise this problem a specially designed fermentor was fitted into the airbath of the microcalorimeter, thus providing temperature control and reducing the flow time between fermentor and microcalorimeter to 1 minute. This design was adequate providing only one dilution rate was used in each experiment. If different dilution rates were used in the same experiment the fermentor contents could not be maintained at 37C and inaccurate heat outputs were recorded. It is believed that with modifications this design may be used to accurately determine the energy changes occuring in chemostat cultures. K. aerogenes has been grown in batch culture in media limited by carbon or nitrogen. Characteristic heat output-time records were obtained for each medium. As growth proceeded the heat output increased steadily until oxygen became limiting whereupon the rate of heat output decreased. During the stationary phase endogenous metabolism occurred in the carbon-limited media and slow degradation of excess carbon in the nitrogen-limited media both of which gave rise to relatively large heat outputs.The total heat output of nitrogen-limited cultures was greater than that of carbon-limited cultures. When glycine replaced ammonium sulphate as nitrogen source the total heat output was increased. Very inefficient growth occurred when glycine provided both the carbon and nitrogen source. The heat output of all cultures changed with changes in oxygen tension, pH, biomass and flow rate between fermentor and microcalorimeter.<p

A behavioural therapy approach to self-management: the Flinders Program

Chronic diseases, including diabetes, represent the most prevalent problem in healthcare today. They are the most common cause of disability and consume the largest part of health expenditures internationally. Most diabetes care is provided by people with diabetes and their family or supporters. Therefore, understanding how to enhance diabetes self-management is of primary importance in addressing this growing burden. The effective self-management of type 2 diabetes is closely linked to environmental factors and a person&rsquo;s lifestyle. In this article, the authors describe the Flinders Chronic Condition Self-Management Program, which highlights the person&rsquo;s perspective, and provide an example of its practical application in an Aboriginal population in South Australia

World blindness and visual impairment: despite many successes, the problem is growing

Over the last 30 years, there has been a reduction in the proportion of people with visual impairment and blindness worldwide. However, growing and ageing populations mean that the challenge of eliminating avoidable blindness is now bigger than ever before

The role of the ankle plantar flexor muscles in trip recovery during walking: a computational modeling study

BackgroundReactive lower limb muscle function during walking plays a role in balance, stability, and ultimately fall prevention. The objective of this study was to evaluate muscle and joint function used to regain balance after trip-based perturbations during walking.Research questionHow are lower limb muscles used to recover from external tripping during walking?MethodThe dominant legs of 20 healthy adult participants with similar athletic backgrounds were tripped using a split-belt instrumented treadmill. High- and medium-intensity trips were simulated by deceleration of the dominant leg at initial contact from the speed of 1.1 m/s to 0 m/s and back to 1.1 m/s in 0.4 s and 0.8 s, respectively. Lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and muscle forces following perturbations were computed to pre-perturbation values using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) paired t-test.ResultsA greater ankle dorsiflexion angle (mean difference: 5.3°), ankle plantar flexion moment (mean difference: 0.6Nm/kg), and gastrocnemius and soleus muscle forces (mean difference: 4.27N/kg and 13.56N/kg for GAS and SOL, respectively) were observed post-perturbation step despite the magnitude of the perturbation.SignificanceThis study concludes that adequate timely response of ankle function during a compensatory step is required for a successful recovery after tripping during walking in young healthy adults. Weakness in plantar flexors suggests insufficient ankle moments, which ultimately can result in falls. The findings of this paper can be used as a reference for the joint moments and range of motion needed to recover trips in the design of assistive devices. In addition to that, clinicians can use the estimated values of muscle forces and the pattern of muscle activities to design targeted training in fall prevention among the elderly