A ray of hope for visually impaired in Ahmedabad

The World Sight Day observed every year on the second Thursday of October brings with it a ray of hope for thousands of visually impaired people.

This year, World Sight Day, will be observed today, October 14. It is an important occasion to create awareness about blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired. The day is observed around the world by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight.

According to estimates, around 40 lakh fresh cases of cataract are detected in the country every year. The ailment is mainly seen among senior citizens. In Ahmedabad alone, more than 36,000 cataract surgeries are performed every year.

However, the actual number of cataract cases is believed to be much more as there are still a large number of people who cannot afford to pay for the surgery and as a result many of them
become blind over the years.

"This is a staggering number. A lot is being done to prevent blindness due to cataract, but much more needs to be done as cataract continues to be one of the major causes of blindness in the country", said Bhushan Punani, executive director, Blind People's Association (BPA), Ahmedabad.

He added that BPA alone accounts for almost 30% of the cataract surgeries in Ahmedabad. They perform around 10,000 surgeries a year. The Navalbhai Hiraba Eye Hospital set up by BPA in collaboration with Bareja General Hospital Trust, provides free treatment to patients and performs thousands of cataract operations every year.

In addition to cataract operations, BPA and other associations also focus on creating greater awareness among the masses to encourage eye donations, which can go a long way in removing the darkness from many people's lives.

"The number of eye donations has gone up in the last few years due to increased awareness among citizens. Around 1,000 people donate their eyes every year, which sets 2,000 people free from darkness. But many more people need to come forward and pledge to donate their eyes", said an official of a city-based eye bank.