Devise multi-pronged strategy for strengthening preventive eye care: Venkaiah Naidu

"Given the relative ease with which basic eye tests can be administered, our community health workers -- ASHA workers -- should be trained in initial screening for eye diseases and patients can be referred to secondary or tertiary care centers," he said.

Udhagamandalam (Tamil Nadu): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday called for a 'multi-pronged' strategy in strengthening eye care facilities, particularly in rural areas where the presence of ophthalmologists and optometrists was relatively low.

Naidu, after virtually inaugurating the Anant Bajaj Retina Institute in Hyderabad from Raj Bhavan, Udhagamandalam, said the government must equip and integrate primary health centers in all villages with primary eye care facilities. "Given the relative ease with which basic eye tests can be administered, our community health workers -- ASHA workers -- should be trained in initial screening for eye diseases and patients can be referred to secondary or tertiary care centers," he said.

Noting that the awareness about preventive eye care, particularly in a specialized field like retinal health was low among people, he said the need of the hour was to increase awareness among people about the importance of eye health. "Multimedia campaigns in local languages should be utilized involving celebrities and icons from different fields. The message should go to people that vision impairment is preventable and curable too," he said.

The Vice President said there was an urgent need to devise a multi-pronged strategy for strengthening preventive and curative eye care across the country. "Particularly in rural areas where the access to ophthalmologists and optometrists is relatively low, there is a huge scope to curtail preventable blindness," he said.

Complementing the government efforts, private health care providers must open satellite centers in villages, and companies should allocate CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds towards setting up eye care and screening camps in villages, he said. "Community awareness is critical in rural settings and awareness programs must be organized at a community level, periodically," he said.

Naidu also stressed the need to regulate the use of gadgets among children, who "run a higher risk of technology addiction." "We must rest our eyes sufficiently and take a healthy diet," he said. L V Prasad Eye Institute founder G N Rao, Bajaj Electricals Ltd Chairman, and Managing Director, Shekar Bajaj, and senior officials of L V Prasad Eye Institute, Anant Bajaj Retina Institute were among those who were present on the occasion.