The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Focus on eye care for women HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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Friday, Oct 09, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Focus on eye care for women HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

R.Sujatha

CHENNAI: On World Sight Day, which was observed on Thursday, ophthalmologists in the city emphasised the need to focus on ensuring access to care for the women in the family. The theme of the Day was ‘Gender and Eye Health: Equal Access to Care’.

Ophthalmologists say older people suffer from cataract while young children are afflicted with corneal blindness or have refractive errors. Non-earning members in a family are often neglected when it comes to medical care.

Delaying treatment could result in vision loss, doctors say. “Even diseases which can be prevented go out of the doctor’s hand if there is optic atrophy. Glaucoma is a disease for which treatment should been taken as early as possible. Otherwise, the vision lost is irrecoverable,” says K. Vasanta, Deputy Superintendent of the Government Eye hospital. If the woman is not an earning member then the chances of her seeking treatment for self or for her children is lower, she says.

At the hospital’s outpatient ward the number of women and children is only two-third of the total number of men who come for treatment. Cataracts are dealt with in the medical camps and do not require many follow-ups. But, in the case of progressive diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy which require long term follow up, fewer women seek immediate attention, she says.

Women tend to take a simplistic view of their problem because of ignorance, says Amar Agarwal, Director, Dr.Agarwal’s Eye Hospital. “I see a lot of people who cannot see clearly and don’t tell their family either. Fear of surgery and ignorance also prevents women from seeking treatment,” he says.

“It is not necessary to wait for the cataract to mature. If a person is unable to read, cook or see the TV clearly, then it is time to see the doctor.” There is need to create awareness of the fact that 80 per cent of blindness is preventable, says Mohan Rajan, Chairman of Rajan Eye Care Hospital.

Starting early

Eye care should begin from childhood, doctors say. Including Vitamin A rich food, greens, carrots and cucumbers in the diet improves eyesight.

Adults should control their diabetes and smokers should quit the habit as they develop cataract faster than non-smokers, according to Dr. Mohan Rajan. While wearing sun glasses would prevent exposure to ultraviolet rays, people with a history of diseases in the family should have their eyes checked regularly, he says.

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