Chennai: As per estimates, India has only around 15,000 ophthalmologists capable of performing eye surgeries in various specialties, with more than one crore of the population being visually impaired. Taking the huge need of ophthalmologists, Alcon eye care partnered with Aravind Eye Care Hospitals in the state under its Phaco development programme to train practising eye doctors and caregivers.
The programme aims at training the ophthalmologists and other medical practitioners involved in eye care, especially those in smaller cities and towns to build their capacities and introduce them to the best surgical technologies.
Vision 20:20 or Right to Sight is the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness, a joint programme of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). However, the lack of adequately trained ophthalmologists, both in numbers and distribution, remains one of the biggest challenge to India achieving its Vision 20:20 goals.
“The programme would enable to train eye specialists through the public-private partnerships towards improving eye health delivery in India. There is an undeniable need to increase the number of ophthalmologists and other eye-care specialists across India, whereas the need to up skill thecurrently available but often under-utilized ophthalmologists is equally important,” said Dr Haripiya Aravind, chief, cataract and IOL services, Aravind Eye Care Hospitals.
The team of Clinical Assistant Specialists (CAS) train an ophthalmologist for being a competent phaco surgeon. We are training eye care specialists in surgical practice and adoption of technologies for surgeries,” added Dr Haripriya.
