On April 26, 2026, the National Medical Team in South Africa traveled to the rural community of Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal’s Natal Midlands, where the Forderville Sai Center hosted an eye and dental screening clinic. Forty patients were registered and given blood pressure and blood sugar pre-assessment.
An Ophthalmology medical officer screened 31 patients for visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and dilated fundus disease. Nine were referred to hospitals for urgent or semi-urgent, potentially blinding conditions including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, macular disease, and thyroid eye disease. Seven patients were referred to an optometrist for spectacles, and two for reading glasses, and five cataract patients were placed on a surgical priority list. About a third of patients had uncontrolled hypertension and a third uncontrolled diabetes. Two patients with extremely high blood pressure and one with extremely high blood sugar were transferred to hospitals by ambulance the same day. Nine patients will return in a year for diabetic retinopathy follow-up.
A dental therapist screened 15 patients. Seven were consulted for extractions, covering mobile teeth, retained roots, and a fractured tooth, while eight requested assessments only and received a treatment plan covering needs from scale-and-polish and restorations to extractions and denture work.
For more information about this activity or activities in your country or region, please contact info@sathyasai.org and include a link to this page.
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