KARACHI, March 28: Poverty and lack of public trust in ophthalmology units operating at rural health care centres have led to a high incidence of cataract-induced blindness in the province.

Prof Ziauddin Sheikh, chief coordinator of the Prevention and Control of Blindness Programme for Sindh, in an interview with APP on Thursday, cited cataract as a major eye problem in the country, affecting people of all age groups,

“Delayed intervention has made cataract induced-blindness as the most common contributory factor in visual impairment,” he said adding that 70% of the cases of blindness in the province were caused by cataract.

Cataract is attributed to direct and unprotected exposure of the eyes to the rays of the sun. The problem is intensified by poverty which prevents accessibility to food with nutritional value, particularly vitamin A.

Prof Sheikh said that public sector eye-care facilities remained largely unutilised because of public misconceptions and for want of staff and equipments.

He mentioned the PCB teams regularly sent to remote areas of the province to perform surgeries. The idea, said Dr Shaikh, was to restore public confidence in the ophthalmologists of government health care centres. He added that under the strategy small eye camps had also been conducted.

He also mentioned the District Eye Care Programme initiated by the Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF), an Australia- based NGO, in 20 districts of the province.

Responding to a question about the lack of qualified ophthalmologists in government institutions in many areas, he said that 70 posts of ophthalmologists were lying vacant in several rural areas of the province.

He praised the recent decision by the government to fill grade-18 posts with those qualified individuals who might not yet have been recommended by the Sindh Public Service Commission but are adequately trained and are already working in the government sector in junior grades.

He stressed the need for refresher courses for assignees, lady health visitors, general physicians and technicians.

Acknowledging the support extended by local philanthropists, he said that resource constraints were a factor that deserved consideration.—APP