Eye Diseases in the First and the Third World

NIHMP Conference Hall
Rome, 16 December 2008

Workshop:

NIHMP was inaugurated on January 9, 2008. The activity of the Institute is addressed to socially, culturally and economically disadvantaged people; medical examinations, laboratory tests and psychological, anthropological, legal and social assistance are provided.
NIHMP activity also aims at analyzing and spreading the knowledge of the epidemiological aspects of migration, such as re-emerging infectious diseases. These are not the only pathologies linked to poverty and migration flows; it also important to take into account chronic diseases which are often unknown or late diagnosed causing severe disabilities and increasing social disadvantage. Eye diseases leading to blindness (glaucoma, retinitis, uveitis, keratitis) are an example of that.
The workshop leaves aside the commonplace linking infectious diseases to migration flows and points out the possibility for migrants to be affected by pathologies causing social disadvantage such as eye diseases, which are often inappropriately treated in their poor native countries.
In particular, the information available about chronic ophthalmic diseases allows comparison among industrialized and developing countries as regards know-how, availability and access to health care services. In the latter these pathologies are often undiagnosed or classified as rare diseases whereas they are diffused.
During the workshop several data on the health conditions of migrants in the Province of Rome were provided.
Courtesy contribution
ALLERGAN S.p.A.