Eye examination should become a part of master health check-up, said Lingam Vijaya, senior consultant, Sankara Nethralaya and a glaucoma specialist.
“The public should be empowered to ask if the master health check-up includes eye testing. If so, does it include measuring the intraocular pressure, examination of the optic nerve and evaluating the retina. The public should know that they had to demand these facilities and investigations when they visit an ophthalmologist. When such a day comes, we can be sure that most diseases can be detected early,” she said.
Conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, if detected early, could minimise visual impairment and benefit society as loss of sight would be prevented, she said. “It is necessary to spread awareness about eye diseases and ensure that people get their eyes examined periodically,” she said.
Dr. Vijaya was participating in the launch of Glaucoma Awareness Week organised by Rajan Eye Care Hospital on Thursday. Glaucoma awareness week is observed from March 6 to 12.
Two books launched
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, who launched the Glaucoma Awareness and Prevention Week and two books on the occasion, said it was a special day as it was observed as World Kidney Day and as National Gestational Diabetes Day.
He recalled that the Rajan Eye Care Hospital had worked with Greater Chennai Corporation during his tenure as the Mayor to screen schoolchildren and provided spectacles to children.
He said so far under Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme, around 52 lakh persons had been reached. Nearly 1.11 crore medicine kits had been provided to the beneficiaries. The scheme had received recognition from several States.
Also, the Innuyir Kappom scheme had helped reduce the number of deaths due to accidents by more than half. Last January, 1,700 deaths occurred due to road accidents but this January the number fell to 540, he said.
Lingam Gopal, associate professor, National University Hospital, Singapore, felicitated Mohan Rajan, chairman and managing director of Rajan Eye Care Hospital. Dr. Mohan’s interaction with people and his willingness to help them made him popular. He regularly conducted workshops that helped the ophthalmology community at large, he said.
One of the two books that were launched is a compilation of 400 photographs of various eye conditions. The photos were taken from the fundus camera in the Rajan Eye Care Hospital. The aim of publishing the book was to benefit doctors and post graduate students of ophthalmology at his hospital, Dr. Mohan said.
