KARACHI, May 11: Medical experts at a seminar on Tuesday urged the government to provide laser, angiography and other machines in all health care facilities of the country to save the 8.4 million people who were potentially blind and could be treated by timely diagnosis.

They were speaking at the seminar on "Preventable Blindness" organized by Blindness Control Society of Pakistan in collaboration with Dow University of Health Sciences at Arag Auditorium.

The experts said that the poor could not afford expensive laser treatment available in private sector hospitals while the lack of awareness was further aggravating the situation as people did not have adequate knowledge how to improve nutrition and follow safety guidelines to prevent eye diseases and blindness.

They underlined the need to educate the masses about eye diseases, improve their nutrition and intake of Vitamin A prophylaxis. They were of the view that 80 per cent of blindness cases was due to conditions, which were avoidable or treatable.

The speakers called for improved safety conditions at home and work places like appropriate guards, screens, glasses, besides prompt treatment of ocular infections, rational use of drugs and rehabilitation of visually handicapped by provision of the low vision aid.

DUHS vice-chancellor Prof Masood Hameed Khan, who was the chief guest at the seminar, said that there was lack of coordination among government departments. "We should create awareness about the diseases among public and have to strengthen our tertiary care hospitals," he said.

He said that irrational use of steroids must be stopped, as they had side effects and could result in blindness. He emphasised that medicines should be sold only on prescription and said that the DUHS would discuss this grave problem with high- ups.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Zafar Farooq said that out of 160 million blind people in the world, around 2.8 million were Pakistanis, who needed social, economic or rehabilitative support.

He said, "It is estimated that number of blind people would be doubled in the next 25 years if decisive actions were not taken immediately." Dr Zafar also discussed major causes of blindness, including cataract, glaucoma, trachoma, diabetic retinopathy, refractive errors, trauma, Vitamin-A deficiency, macular degeneration, ocular infections, hypertension, vascular disorders, congenital or developmental disorders, hereditary disorders and drugs.

He said that half of the patients with diabetes developed some degree of diabetic retinopathy - the most common form of diabetic eye diseases - which was a leading cause of blindness.

Nearly 25,000 people became blind every year with diabetes, but in 90 per cent of all cases, early detection and well-timed laser treatment could prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, he added.

The doctor said that the effective way to detect diabetic eye disease was eye examination at least once a year to find eye disease or need for a laser treatment as it was highly effective in preventing visual loss from diabetic eye disease.

Dr M. Idrees Adhi, professor of ophthalmology at Dow Medical College, said that 90 per cent of the diabetic patients would have retinopathy in their life. "Public sector hospitals have no facility for fluorescent angiography, laser and dealing with surgical retinal problems," he said.

Mentioning that Rs400 million was earmarked for a lever transplant centre in the budget, Dr Idrees said that more than 100 laser machines could be bought with this amount. He was of the view that if these machines were distributed in hospitals there would be no single patient of diabetic retinopathy in the country.

He said that diabetes was the most common cause of blindness in middle-aged population and its incidence was alarmingly high in Pakistan. "Facilities for prevention of diabetic blindness are almost non-existing in public sector hospitals, particularly in Sindh," he said adding that there is not even a single laser machine in the province.

Prof Ziauddin Sheikh of DUHS identified that cataract accounted 73 per cent of blindness and urged government to pay immediate attention towards the disease.

He urged people to donate their corneas after death and referred many countries where dead bodies were the property of government. Moreover, he said that there was no restriction in Islam for such a donation and guidelines in this regard could be got from religious scholars.

Dr Zurqa Khalid of JPMC, Dr Benish of Baqai University, Dr Sadaf Ausaf of DUHS also presented their papers on blindness. A message from the provincial health minister was also read out on the occasion. -PPI