HEALTH: Hispanic Eyes

With today being the start of Hispanic Heritage Month I thought I would present some arguments on health care issues that affect this particular group of people.

In today’s Miami Herald, Fred Tasker focused on eye disease and its effects on people of different ethnicities, especially those of Hispanic origin (“Ethnicity, eye disease linked”). He writes that “more than three-quarters of Hispanics and blacks do not know that their ethnicity is a major risk factor for glaucoma – with rates more than three times that of non-Hispanic whites,” citing the American Academy of Ophthalmology . Though this may be true, what impacts me is not the results of thus study, pointing towards genealogical ethnic difference. What strikes me is that “75 percent of Hispanics with glaucoma were undiagnosed.”

This is where the true issues in medical issues arise. Despite what doctors, scientists, and anyone else may say, health is a cultural reality. It is based in the beliefs and values of the individual and their community.

Lets say that the American Academy of Ophthalmology is right and Hispanics are more likely than white people to have glaucoma (to me the disease is irrelevant, but presents a good argument). Just because something is a scientific fact does not mean that it is a culturally pressing issue. Science cannot force someone to become aware of an issue. It can also not force people to go and get annual eye exams. It might be a motivating factor, but alone it is nothing without culturally grounded realities.

There are many aspects of cultural heritage that play out in political, sociological, and physical realms. For one, Hispanics are less likely to have health insurance – something that may be a result of American society and its own embedded culture. If someone is without insurance, would they pay attention to the science that tells them that they need to have annual check-ups and spend money on doctor fees? My answer is no.

A returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Africa was speaking to me awhile back about her work with HIV/AIDS awareness in small villages. In her host family there were two teenage twin boys. She asked if they would go and get tested for HIV/AIDS. She said that their reaction was insightful: they would not get tested because what if they did have HIV/AIDS. They said that they would rather not know; rather avoid cultural stigmatization and future medical fees that they would not be able to afford. (See her blog for more details, as she mentions it there)

I think that Hispanics in the United States present a similar case. If they were diagnosed it would just cause more dilemmas in the long run. Yes, they would have an answer, but on the other hand they would always have that nagging feeling that they are trapped, unable to help themselves. Why put yourself in this situation?

So I’ll leave you with one last question – Should people care about issues that are, to them, hopeless?

- Erika, Issues of Health