HYDERABAD: Inspite of rapid advances in healthcare technology in treating eye problems, many people are still falling prey to eye disorders, eye specialists at LV Prasad Eye Institute observed.
‘’There have been rapid advances in healthcare technology in India and today we have the best facilities when compared to any other advanced nation in the world. As a result of these advances and skilled doctors, we are able to treat many eye disorders. But it is always better to prevent a problem than treating the person after being affected,’’ Dr Pravin Krishna Vaddavalli, Consultant, Cornea, Anterior Segments Service and Head of Refractive Surgery and Cataract Service, has said.
He was speaking about the importance of advanced healthcare technology in treating eye disorders, at a programme held for technology transfer from Germany to India for Cornea and Laser Refractive Surgery at LVPEI here on Saturday.
Two high precision automated corneal tissue processing systems to enable preparation of pre-sculpted tissue for corneal transplants in the eye bank and two high precision microkeratomes to assist in flap creating during LASIK surgery, have been donated by Germany-based medical equipment company Gebauer Medizintechnik GmbH to LVPEI. These high precision systems will help in optimising the utilisation of corneas and improving the precision in LASIK surgery.
‘’There are five layers in cornea and we used to implant all the five layers to the receiver to restore eye sight. But eye sight can be restored by even implanting part of layers also. With pre-sculpting technology different layers of cornea can be separated and one cornea can be used for restoring the eyesight of more than one person, thus increasing the utilisation of corneas,’’ Pravin said.
Sometimes corneas get wasted if they have some scars or other minor disturbances, after being donated by the donors in the process of implanting in the receiver. But with this new technology only that part of cornea which is affected by the scar can be removed and the remaining cornea can be implanted thus successfully restoring eye sight.
The availability of these high precision ‘pre-cutting’ donor corneal tissues at LVPEI, makes it the first centre in Asia pacific region to have such a facility. Inspite of these technological strides, rising eye disorders is seen as a disturbing trend. LVPEI is the only institute which has done 20,000 corneal transplants and catered to about 2 crore people in the past two decades.
‘Children Should be Taught about Good and Bad Touch’
Senior consultant psychologist Dr Pragya Rashmi speaks about the importance of teaching kids about ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ in the early years itself to protect them from child sexual abuse. In an interview She urges parents to take note of the issue to protect child’s health.
How rampant is child sexual abuse in India?
According to a recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) report, child sexual abuse is on rise in India. Even in states like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which are considered conservative, the problem is rising. Child sex abuse is a serious problem from not just societal point of view but even from health point
How does child sexual abuse affect the health of a child?
A child who faces sexual abuse goes through severe mental trauma and faces many issues related to mental health. It may even affect her mental health and development leading to serious consequences.
How a child affected by sexual abuse is treated?
Depending upon the severity of abuse the treatment is planned. Week long or month long psychotherapy sessions are conducted and if needed series of sessions are conducted in severe cases. Even parents are made part of counseling psychotherapy sessions. In some case even medication may also be needed, if child has is hurt physically.
But can a child be completely relieved from the scars of sexual abuse?
Yes, a child can be completely relieved of the scars of abuse, if proper care and counselling is given to him by therapists and parents. It is not just counselor but even parents have to play a crucial role in making a child normal. But rather than focusing on treatment we should focus on preventing the child abuse in the first place.
Can we prevent child sex abuse?
The first thing to be done is to teach children about how to protect themselves from those who abuse them sexually. Children should be taught to distinguish between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’.