Workshop on eliminating 'avoidable' blindness

Workshop on eliminating 'avoidable' blindness

Vision 2020-The Right to Sight-INDIA, an international NGO, conducted a one-day workshop on “Media and its role in eliminating avoidable blindness”. The workshop was hosted by Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai and facilitated by Joseph Eye  Hospital, Trichy

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight-INDIA is a key driver of the World Health Organization-International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s (WHO - IAPB) joint global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness in India.

Dr Deshpande, president of the NGO said, “We aim to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness in India by facilitating the planning, development and implementation of a sustainable national eye care programme.It will be based on the three core strategies of disease control, human resource development and infrastructure and technology, while incorporating the principles of Primary Health Care (PHC), integrated within the NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) in the National Health System”

Dr NK Agarwal, deputy director general, National Program for ontrol of Blindness (NPCB) highlighted the importance and roll of NPCB and its role in eliminating blindness in India.

Dr Pratibha, Joseph Eye Hospital, Trichy spoke about the burden and challenges of avoidable blindness in Tamil Nadu. She said, “Lack of faith, knowledge and social esteem are the main reasons for the prevalence of blindness in Tamil Nadu”.  She added that the fatalistic attitude of the people also contributes for their blindness.

Dr RD Ravindran, chairman, Aravind Eye Hospital, briefed the audience about the need for advocacy to eliminate blindness.He said, “Media has a larger role in the elimination of blindness by publishing the policies and programmmes, spreading awareness about the surgical information and  diseases like glaucoma,which is more prevalent among the people who are above 40 years. The workshop was attended by doctors from all over the country.

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