Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 11, 2018 News
Seventy-five percent of all blindness is avoidable. Given the fact that the majority of blindness is treatable or preventable altogether, there is need for continuous sensitisation to keep members of the public in the know.
This was recently amplified by Dr. Shailendra Sugrim, the Consultant Ophthalmologist and Head of the Ophthalmology Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. Dr. Sugrim’s disclosure comes even as Guyana prepares to join the rest of the world to celebrate World Sight Day [WSD] today.
WSD is an international day of awareness held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
According to Dr. Sugrim, as in the past, the GPHC will be taking the lead locally to commemorate the day with a number of activities including free eye testing for members of the public. Moreover, a special clinic has been planned for the observance day [Thursday, October 11, 2018] which, according to Dr. Sugrim, will commence at 08:30 hours and conclude at 13:30 hours. “Patients will have free access to the clinic and can walk into the clinic to have their eyes tested for glaucoma, cataract, refractive errors, diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases,” shared Dr. Sugrim. He also revealed that a team of nurses will be conducting educational sessions with patients as part of the deliberate effort to spread awareness about eye health and eye care.
Also today patients will be eligible for walk-in screening at the hospital’s Diabetic Retinopathy Centre. The Diabetic Centre, according to Dr. Sugrim, is supported by the World Diabetes Foundation through collaborative effort from the Ministry of Public Health, Orbis International and the University of Toronto Banting and Best Diabetes Centre. The programme allows persons with diabetes to undergo free screening tests to detect early diabetic eye disease or diabetic retinopathy before it proceeds to cause permanent blindness.
Screening today will be done by the staff of the Department of Ophthalmology including ophthalmologists, optometrists, doctors and nurses of the GPHC Eye Clinic and also by those attached to the hospital’s Vision Centre.
Added to this, Dr. Sugrim said that Alcon-Novartis will be collaborating with the GPHC today to host a Continuing Medical Education session for Eye Care Professionals and Physicians in commemoration of WSD. Alcon is the eye care division of the Novartis which is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies.
The local WSD activities will extend to the University of Guyana where students of the School of Optometry will be conducting commemorative activities at the Turkeyen campus.
This year the theme for WSD is ‘Eye care everywhere – a call to nations to ensure that everybody has access to affordable eye care’.
This is crucial since it has been found that three out of four people have avoidable visual impairment.
As such WSD provides a platform for organisations to encourage governments, corporations, institutions and individuals to actively support global blindness prevention efforts.
The observance is in fact the focal advocacy and public relations event of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness [IAPB].
The IAPB was established in 1975 as a coordinating, umbrella organisation to lead international efforts in blindness prevention activities.
Its first major achievement was to promote the establishment of a World Health Organisation programme for prevention of blindness which is now embodied in the global initiative – VISION 2020: the right to sigh.
IAPB represents over 100 non-governmental organisations, eye care professionals organisations committed to the elimination of avoidable blindness and enjoys a formal partnership relationship with WHO.
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
Apr 17, 2024
2024 CWI Regional 4-Day Championships Round 7…GHE vs. CCC Kaieteur Sports – After a highly-successful round 6, Guyana Harpy Eagles will look to take full advantage of the out-of-sorts...Kaieteur News – Every school teacher should take a close look at the students in his or her classroom. The probability... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]