BENGALURU: To reach nearly 10 lakh under-served people across the state, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao launched a comprehensive Eye Care Programme with innovative, indigenous health technology, on Wednesday.
The program, in line with the Karnataka State Vision Care Program - Asha Kirana - under the National Health Mission’s National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), aims to deploy ophthalmic devices for leveraging digital solutions and cloud-based technology to eliminate preventable blindness from 5 years to over 70 years.
The initiative aims to tackle challenges through various technological solutions, including a handheld auto refractometer with wavefront aberrometer-based technology to screen refractive errors, and an AI-based Fundus camera, capable of capturing retina images without pupil dilation, targeting adult population with retinopathies, glaucoma, and macular edema.
It also incorporates AI for disease detection, aiding ophthalmologists in condition identification, patient data storage, and medical record management. It will be included in 24/7 PHCs, CHCs, taluk hospitals, and bus depots for transport personnel screening.