Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon will today praise a project that has helped safeguard the sight of over 1,200 Glaswegians from an ethnic minority background.
Speaking at an event in the city to review progress, Ms Sturgeon said: "The Ethnic Minority Eye Health Project has broken new ground in considering the particular needs of people at increased risk of visual impairment, where there can be barriers to treatment."
The Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland, which runs the project, says that people from some ethnic minority backgrounds are more vulnerable to sight-threatening conditions.
People of South Asian origin are six times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than Caucasians; those of African / Caribbean origin are three times more likely. Retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that affects the eye, is the single biggest cause of sight loss among Scots of working age. Meanwhile, some forms of glaucoma are more than three times more prevalent among people of Afro-Caribbean and Chinese descent, and are often more severe.
But RNIB Scotland warns that many groups most at risk of losing their sight are least likely to access eye-care services.
Project development officer Gozie Joe Adigwe said: "This project has marked the beginning of our understanding of the needs of black and minority ethnic people living with sight loss. As well as informing people to make the right health choices, the project has explored the best way to communicate with different ethnic groups.
"Working in partnership has been a vital component, sharing good practice and maintaining ownership of the project's direction and outcomes. This is the beginning of a long journey and RNIB Scotland is committed to embracing this work."
Launched last August, the project has examined what real, or perceived, barriers are preventing uptake of eye-care services. It is being piloted in Glasgow because the city's ethnic minority population is three times the national average.
Shaukat Sultan is a member of the project's advisory committee. "It was heart-breaking when I learned that I would lose my sight due to glaucoma," he said. "The first few months were very hard because I had to learn new ways to survive and needed to adjust my self, my needs, my activities.
"But RNIB Scotland staff work tirelessly for us and we all appreciate their commitment and support. Gozie is very active in communicating the message and RNIB Scotland has already produced CDs in Urdu, Punjabi, Cantonese and various other languages.
"I think people are gaining more knowledge and awareness through this project and I hope that this is the beginning of real multi-agency partnership that works with and for our diverse communities."
Nicola Sturgeon said: "It is really encouraging that better links have been forged with ethnic minority communities through sessions on eye health in mosques, temples, women's groups and day care centres. The fact that 1,200 people have received eye-health information, and that people with sight loss are getting help they did not have before, is a very positive development.
"It's important that we use the findings to continue to improve eye health care services for people in our ethnic minority communities in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and apply them to the whole of Scotland."
Funded by the Scottish Government, the project is run in partnership between RNIB Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow City Council, Optometry Scotland and Visibility.
Press Release issued: 3 December 2009