Topic: Vision screening for Venezuelan children / eye care for individuals with regularized immigration status (2022).
Location: La Fortaleza settlement – Cúcuta (Norte de Santander, Colombia).
Date: May 11–12, 2022.
Clínica Peñaranda, the Mayor’s Office of San José de Cúcuta, and the foundation *Comparte por una Vida Colombia* joined forces to provide care to Venezuelan children living in the La Fortaleza settlement. A vision screening event was held in the area on May 11 and 12, 2022, serving nearly 200 minors; 37 pairs of eyeglasses were provided to those who needed them. Additionally, as a follow-up to these screening efforts, throughout 2022, Clínica Peñaranda provided vision care to Venezuelan individuals living in the city who have regularized their immigration status. A total of 117 Venezuelans—ranging from 2-year-old children to adults over 60—residing in Cúcuta with regularized immigration status received care in 2022. Various conditions and abnormalities were identified and treated, most notably cataracts, refractive errors, and glaucoma, among others. 69 individuals—equivalent to 59% of the population served—have a visual acuity of less than 20/40.| Pathologies / visual problems | 2 to 20 years | 20 to 40 years | 40 to 60 years | Over 60 years | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract | 3 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 29 |
| Ocular contusion | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Foreign body in the cornea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Refractive error | 3 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 20 |
| Macular degeneration | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Retinal detachment | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Strabismus | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Glaucoma | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| Nasal pterygium | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Retinopathy | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Other diagnoses | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 30 |
| TOTALS | 14 | 25 | 45 | 33 | 117 |
