Autonomia pessoal e social de pessoas com deficiência visual após reabilitação / Personal and social autonomy of visually impaired people who were assisted by rehabilitation services

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo visou identificar e analisar criticamente a autonomia pessoal e social de pessoas com deficiência visual (cegueira) após passarem por serviços de reabilitação em uma única instituição especializada. Métodos: O método utilizado na pesquisa possuiu enfoque qualitativo, através da organização de questionários e entrevistas para a coleta dos dados. Foram sujeitos deste estudo pessoas com deficiência visual (cegueira), que passaram pela reabilitação, e os respectivos familiares que acompanharam o processo. O estudo envolveu seis pessoas com deficiência visual, egressos da Unidade para Reabilitação de Deficientes Visuais - URDV entre os anos de 2002 a 2009, além dos seis familiares, correspondendo um para cada pessoa com deficiência visual. Resultados: Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que a reabilitação proporcionou alternativas para mudanças determinantes para as pessoas com deficiência visual em seu contexto social. Conclusão: A pesquisa evidenciou que a conquista, ou a reconquista da autonomia pessoal e social dessa população foi alcançada, propiciando, consequentemente, uma melhor qualidade de vida.

Objective:This study aims to identify and critically examine the personal and social autonomy of visually impaired people (blindness) after undergoing rehabilitation services in a single specialized institution. Methods: The method used in the study possessed qualitative approach, by organizing interviews and questionnaires to collect data. Study subjects are visually impaired people (blindness), who went through rehab, and their family members who accompanied the process.. The study involved the six people with visual impairments, graduates of the Unit for Rehabilitation of the Visually Impaired - URDV between the years 2002 and 2009, and six family members, one member to each person with visual impairment. Results: The survey results indicate that rehabilitation provided alternatives for determining changes to people with visual impairments in their socialcontext. Conclusion: This research showed that the conquest or reconquest of personal and social autonomy of this population was reached, providing thus a better quality of life.

Catarata congénita y baja visión. Habilitación visual en un grupo de pacientes / Cataract congenital and low vision. Visual habilitation in a group of patient

La catarata congénita es una las causas más frecuentes de baja visión en Cuba y en el mundo, y se manifiesta desde los primeros momentos de la vida. Se considera la responsable de 10 por ciento de la pérdida visual en el niño y la causa más frecuente de privación visual tratable. Puede ser parcial o completa y, a veces,acompaña a otras afecciones oftalmológicas como: estrabismo, microftalmías, microcórneas, colobomas de iris y coroides, nistagmos y, en ocasiones, se asocia a enfermedades generales y síndromes. Nuestro objetivo es evaluar la habilitación visual en pacientes con baja visión por catarata congénita atendidos en el Instituto Cubano de Oftalmología (ICO) "Ramón Pando Ferrer" en el período enero/2005-diciembre/2008. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo-retrospectivo en 23 pacientes (16 masculinos, 7 femeninos) con diagnóstico de catarata congénita. Las variables empleadas fueron: tipo de catarata según lateralidad, modalidad del tratamiento quirúrgico utilizado, afecciones asociadas a la catarata, resultados en agudeza visual y la ayuda óptica más empleada. La catarata bilateral se presentó en 96 por ciento de los pacientes; la cirugía sin lente intraocular fue el tratamiento más empleado (75 por ciento); la ambliopía profunda fue la afección más frecuente (86 por ciento), encontrándose una mejoría de la agudeza visual después de la habilitación en 34.7 por ciento; la ayuda óptica más empleada fueron los microscopios, para 95 por ciento. Con la adecuada y oportuna habilitación se logró alcanzar una mejoría visual en los pacientes.

Congenital cataract is one of the most common causes of low vision in Cuba and worldwide, and is manifest from the first moments of life. Is considered responsible for 10 percent of visual loss in children and the most common cause of treatable visual deprivation. It may be partial or comple te, and sometimes accompanies other eye problems such as strabismus, microphthalmia, microcórnea, iris and choroid colobomas, nystagmus and it is sometimes associated with systemic diseases and syndromes. To evaluate the visual clearance in patients with low vision congenital cataract treated at the Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology (ICO) "Ramón Pando Ferrer" in the period January/2005 - December/2008.We performed a retrospective descriptive study in 23 patients (16 male, 7 female) diagnosed with congenital cataracts. The variables used were: type of cataract by laterality, surgical treatment modality used, conditions associated with cataract, visual acuity results and the most widely used optical aids. Bilateral cataract was present in 96 percent of patients; surgery without intraocular lens was the most common treatment (75 percent); deep amblyopia was the most frequent disorder (86 percent), and found an improvement in visual acuity after empowerment in 34.7 percent, the most widely used optical aids were microscopes, 95 percent.