World Sight Day marked

With the theme of "stronger together," the World Sight Day was marked here like other parts of the world with a firm resolve to raise awareness about the eye diseases so that burden of blindness could be checked. To mark the day, different events were organized in which experts highlighted the burden of disease. They said the two leading causes of blindness ie, cataract and uncorrected refractive error, can be easily treated by cost-effective interventions such as surgery and eyeglasses.
Citing a WHO study, experts said that Pakistan had one ophthalmologist for 600,000 people. Most ophthalmologists were located in urban centres. Studies reinforce the notion that any form of disability, including blindness, afflicts the poor. The economic cost of blindness results in further decline of the economic status of the individual, as well as, the entire family. In order to reduce the economic costs associated with blindness and improve the quality of life, prevention is the best strategy.