KARACHI, Feb 9: On the second day of the 25th annual congress of the Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan (KAROPHTH) on Saturday, being attended by more than 450 delegates from all over the world and Saarc countries, four scientific sessions were held to discuss important issues in current ophthalmological practices.

During a session on “Vision-2020,” the chairman of the congress organizing committee, Prof Dr Ziauddin A. Shaikh, spoke on “Prevention and control of blindness in Sindh.” He said the incidence of blindness in Sindh was much higher when compared with other provinces in Pakistan and he attributed this high incidence to poverty, lack of adequate ophthalmological care, contaminated water, malnourishment and general lack of awareness as major contributing factors.

Speaking on the “Role of media in awareness building for prevention of blindness,” Syed Shabbir Irshad said because of the prevailing ignorance and misconceptions, simple eye problems were often mismanaged leading to irreparable complications and even blindness.

He added that the print and electronic media could play an effective role in raising awareness of eye problems. He said often newborns with vision problems were dubbed as blind though in fact they might be having cataract, which was wrongly perceived as a disease of the elderly.

Separate sessions were also devoted to cataract, vitreo-retina and recent advances in ophthalmology.

Except for India, more than 150 delegates from the other six Saarc countries, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, are attending the KAROPHTH 2002. The congress will conclude on Sunday.