At least 2.5 percent of Pakistan’s population suffers from blindness out of which 80 percent cases can be treated through awareness, experts said on Thursday. “An estimated 37 million of the world’s six billion population suffers from blindness. Unfortunately, 80 percent of the blind live in developing countries where resources are limited,” said Ophthalmologist Prof Shad Muhammad.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association in collaboration with the Prime Foundation to mark the World Sight Day at the Peshawar Medical College on Thursday, Prof Shad Mohammad, who is Director Academics and Admissions and Dean Faculty of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences Khyber Medical University, said cataract was responsible for 39.1 percent cases of total blindness globally, followed by refractive errors.
Citing a WHO study, he said that Pakistan had one ophthalmologist for 600,000 people in 1980. Most ophthalmologists were located in urban centres while 80 percent of the people live in rural areas, he said. Back then eye care services were provided by tertiary hospitals, secondary hospitals, mission hospitals and some cottage hospitals and were out of reach of majority of rural population, he said. Of 64 secondary hospitals only six had ophthalmologists, he said.
The government devised the first National Programme for Prevention of Blindness in 1986 which conducted the first national survey in 1989 and found prevalence of blindness 1.78 percent. Cataract was responsible for 66.7% of the cases, he said.
Ya! we agree that poverty is the main cause of blindness in Pakistan, now we the young ophthamalogist are getting up for this quest. Insha ALLAH we will end it.
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