Prevention of Blindness

-

Prevention of Blindness

By Dr Arvind Kumar

1st April inaugurates the commencemnt of the prevention of blindness week to be observed from 1 to 7 April by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness-India (NSPB-I) and its State and district branches. According to broad estimates, India had 7 million blind people. As per criteria to assess blindness adopted by the Government of India, nearly 15 million were blind according to the 2001 Census. Of them, 2.70 lakh were children aged less than 16. Over 50 per cent of blindness could be prevented in children. In many cases, impairment of vision was preventable or curable. There is lack of knowledge about proper nutrition and hygiene.

An estimated 456 million people of India's total population require vision correction (spectacles, contact lenses or refractive surgery) to be able to see and function for learning, work and life in general. Twenty six million people are blind or vision impaired due to eye disease. A further 133 million people, including 11 million children, are blind or vision impaired due to simply from lack of an eye examination and an appropriate pair of glasses (uncorrected refractive error).

A Delhi Declaration was endorsed by all stake holders of optometry in January 2010 which stated that "optometrist commit to providing excellent vision care to all those who seek the service of an optometrist". This declaration was made possible through the support of International center of Eye care education (ICEE) and the meeting was sponsored by the Australia India Council (AIC). This declaration is histrorical and highlights the commitment of optometrist towards eradication of avoidable blindness.

‘Eye Banks and Corneal Transplantation' had been chosen as theme for 2012.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Avoid Plastic and Save Environment

-
Image
Avoid Plastic and Save Environment Plastic is like a common commodity which is essential in our daily lives. Bakelite, nylon and rubber are some examples of synthetic plastics. Almost everything is made of plastic! They are very convenient to use because of their malleability and plasticity. They can be easily moulded by heating. Plastic product may be non-toxic, but some small amounts of the chemicals remain trapped in the product. As a result, when these plastics come in contact with food stuffs, the chemicals mix with the food which we subsequently consume. Plastics are non-biodegradable solids. When we burnt, they release some toxic fumes which cause ozone depletion and pollution; many chemicals are released into the air as well as into water. All these bear hazardous environmental consequences. Plastics are made of crude oil and can be used as fuel. One litter of hydrocarbon is produced from one kilogram of plastic waste. Over 1 trillion plastic bags are used every year w...
Read more

Sustaining Renewable Energy

-
Image
Sustaining Renewable Energy By Dr Arvind Kumar T he success, thus far, of fossil fuels in meeting energy demand any time required has led to a belief that whatever we want we can always have whenever we want it. This of course is leading to problems as it patently can no longer be maintained. It also has lead to the development of quite unrealistic expectations as to how far renewables can replace fossil fuels. Renewable energy is being tagged on to a massive existing demand led fossil fuelled energy system that has historically recorded tremendous growth. Efforts at demand reduction and increased efficiency have seemingly resulted in slight savings and these are often deferred by people opting for higher comfort levels. Viewed in a broad spectrum, almost all the renewable technology presently installed has only made us 96% fossil fuel dependent rather than 100%! This is a cause of worry as to the very extreme degree of energy descent that may be experienced as we move further in...
Read more

‘Vanguards of Change’: Simple yet Extraordinary thinking

-
Image
By Dr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation Congratulations on winning the #Padmaawards for the year 2020. We, at India Water Foundation is elated to hear individual’s diverse and momentous endeavors. The award is a reflection of the endless dedication and sincere efforts towards their work which they truly deserve. Their innovative and out-of-box solutions make them distinguished as true Champions of Change. On the eve of 71st Republic Day 2020, Padma awards were given to citizens of India in recognition of their contribution to the society in spheres such as education, literature, science, medicine, social service, etc. Eminent personalities like George Fernandes, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Kannada spiritual icon Sri Vishveshateertha Swami of Pejavar Matt were chosen for the second-highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan posthumously. We have individuals like Harekala Hajabba, who understood the importance of education in today's time and put in eff...
Read more