The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Combat blindness early: Barnala

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Thursday, Jan 06, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Combat blindness early: Barnala

By Our Special Correspondent

The Governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, inaugurating the Rajan Lasik pavilion of the Rajan Eye Care Hospital in Chennai on Wednesday. — Photo : N. Sridharan

CHENNAI, JAN. 5. The Governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, today urged ophthalmologists to take preventive action to combat the onset of blindness, integrating all services to reach the target group.

Quoting statistics, Mr. Barnala said ignoring threats to vision — cataract, glaucoma and retinal disorders — would lead to its deprivation. Of the one billion people in India, nearly 2.7 crore people were said to be blind due to various disorders. Of them, 40 per cent lost their vision due to cataract and refractive errors, 25 per cent due to diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, 15 per cent due to corneal blindness and 10 per cent due to age-related disorders.

Mr. Barnala was inaugurating the Rajan Lasik Pavilion of the Rajan Eye Care Hospital, here. Appreciating the efforts of the hospital, he hoped that the new Allegretto Wave Excimer Laser would cater for the needy. Mr. Barnala said any advanced technology or equipment should be useful and affordable to the common man.

Earlier, he accepted a cheque for Rs.1.10 lakhs from the medical director of the Rajan Eye Care Hospital, Mohan Rajan, as contribution towards the Chief Minister's Tsunami Relief Fund. He said that the response of people from all over the country and the world to rush to the help of Tamil Nadu in the wake of the tragedy was touching.

Dr. Mohan Rajan made a presentation on the 10-year history of the hospital, detailing the facilities it offered.

The associate medical director, Sujatha Mohan, explained the functions and advantages of the laser. It would be of immense benefit to persons with refractive errors — short sight, long sight and astigmatism — providing excellent vision, she said.

The dean and director, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Schools, Y.G. Parthasarathy, felicitated Dr. Mohan and Dr. Sujatha for rendering service to the public.

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