Dhaka, Oct 12 (UNI) Experts at a discussion organized by National Eye Care under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh have said that about 750,000 people in Bangladesh are suffering from blindness while approximately 253 million people in the world live with moderate to severe vision impairment.
Director of National Eye Care Line and National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH), Dr Golam Mostafa while presenting his keynote paper at the discussion here on Thursday said, “Around 1.5 million children in Bangladesh are suffering from low vision, which can be avoided through intervention while around 250,000 people in Bangladesh risk losing eyesight because of diabetic retinopathy.”
The discussion organized during the nationwide observance of ‘World Sight day’ with the theme “Eye Care Everywhere” was chaired by Bangladesh Prime Minister’s international affairs advisor, Gowher Rizvi.
According to the eye health experts, cataract is the main reason for vision impairment while refractive errors, diabetic retinopathy and childhood blindness are also responsible for it, said a report in Dhaka Tribune.
Out of 253 million vision impairment, 36 million people are blind, said one of the expert adding that around 80 percent blindness is avoidable by intervention.
UNI XC JAL 1625