Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) Registrar S. Babulal stressed the need for spreading awareness of diabetic blindness which was a major cause for vision impairment in India.
He was speaking at a Continuing Medical Education Program (CME) on Diabetic Blindness organised by the Aravinda Retina Vitreous Institute (ARVI) in the city on Sunday.
Mr. Babulal said both diabetes and hypertension were high risk factors for diabetic retinopathy and only a healthy diet and moderate physical exercise would keep the disease at bay. NTRUHS was offering state-of-the-training in ophthalmological surgery, he added.
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Andhra Pradesh Ophthalmology Society General Secretary Velagapudi Sambasiva Rao called upon the students of ophthalmology to keep themselves abreast with different diseases afflicting the eye to be able to render the best services later. Ophthalmologist G.V. Narendra said up to 30 per cent of diabetics were suffering from retinal damage.
It was advisable that the functioning of heart and kidneys should be checked once in every six months along with blood pressure, he added.Doctors Rajiv Raman, Y. Sadasiva Rao, Taraprasad Das and Mahesh Shanmugam were among those who spoke at the programme.
NTRUHS Registrar S. Babulal says a healthy diet and moderate physical exercise will keep the disease at bay