["Vision through the hands": experience of a project].
OBJECTIVE
The Project "Vision through the hands" was performed by the Altino Ventura Foundation, with the purpose of investigating the present child situation with multiple disabilities in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.


METHODS
Birth and social conditions, social problems, and difficulty in accessing the specialized services were evaluated, aiming to collect relevant data with the goal of posterior implantation of a specialized diagnosis and treatment center. Ophthalmologic care and proper treatment were offered.


RESULTS
Three hundred and nine children from five reference institutions in disabilities were attended, on six non consecutive days. All cases underwent ophthalmologic examinations and parent interviews. During the waiting time between the ophthalmologic visits and parent interviews the patients performed activities with artists. A multidisciplinary team of 31 professionals was available. According to parent information 83.1% of the patients were considered included in the society and only 45.4% attended school (normal or special). The difficulty to get access to ophthalmologic service was reported by 51.1%. Two hundred and seventy children with multiple disabilities were identified, 154 (56.2%) of whom underwent an ophthalmologic examination for the first time, and 33.0% had low visual acuity (inferior to 20/60 Snellen). The most frequent diagnoses were: refraction error, strabismus, ambliopia, alterations of optic nerve (glaucoma and atrophy), and cataract. Eighty-four glasses were prescribed.


CONCLUSIONS
This project was pioneer in the region, allowing to obtain the information about important problems regarding multiple disabilities, and making possible ophthalmologic care and specialized treatment to the children.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012924:Social Conditions; D013285:Strabismus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D015351:Vision Screening; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
Experiência em projeto: "Enxergando através das mãos"