City Desk :
In Bangladesh around 750,000 people, 1.53 percent of the population aged 30 years or more, are blind while 13.8 percent of the same age-group people suffer from low vision, according to a survey.
Of the blind people, 40,000 are children, said the survey released on Saturday at a day-long workshop organized by Bangladesh chapter of International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and International NGO Forum in Eye Health.
According to the workshop, around 6 million people, including 1.3 million children, of the country have refractive errors while about 22 percent of the newborns face the risk to retinopathy of pre-maturity (ROP).
Health experts at the workshop said Bangladesh will need to raise the number of ophthalmologists substantially in the next three years to attain eye care vision and ensure services for the ever-growing number of patients.
They said now there are only 1,100 ophthalmologists in the country and the number will be required to enhance to 1,600 by 2020.
Line Director of National Eye Care (NEC) Prof Dr Golam Mostafa said the number of optometrists and mid-level eye care professionals will also be needed to increase several times.
According to him, Bangladesh now has only around 200 optometrists and about 2000 mid-level eye care professionals and the numbers required in 2020 will be 1,600 and 6,400 respectively.
Ex-Advisor to the Prime Minister Prof Syed Modasser Ali was present at the event as the chief guest.
WHO Regional Adviser (Disability, Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation) for South-East Asia Dr Patanjali Dev Nayar, Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Vice-President Prof Ava Hossain, DGHS ex-Director General Prof Deen Mohd Noorul Huq, OSB President Prof Md Sharfuddin Ahmed and National Eye Care Line Director Prof Dr Golam Mostafa attended it as special guests.
IAPB Bangladesh Chapter Chair and ADG at DGHS Prof AHM Enayet Hussain chaired the event while IAPB Regional Chair for Asia Dr Taraprasad Das presented the keynote speech.
Around 60 representatives from local and international NGOs and development agencies attended the workshop.
Syed Modasser said that the national efforts for attaining universal eye health have to be strengthened.
Patanjali Dev hailed Bangladesh government’s initiatives for ensuring eye care services for the patients in the country.
In Bangladesh around 750,000 people, 1.53 percent of the population aged 30 years or more, are blind while 13.8 percent of the same age-group people suffer from low vision, according to a survey.
Of the blind people, 40,000 are children, said the survey released on Saturday at a day-long workshop organized by Bangladesh chapter of International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and International NGO Forum in Eye Health.
According to the workshop, around 6 million people, including 1.3 million children, of the country have refractive errors while about 22 percent of the newborns face the risk to retinopathy of pre-maturity (ROP).
Health experts at the workshop said Bangladesh will need to raise the number of ophthalmologists substantially in the next three years to attain eye care vision and ensure services for the ever-growing number of patients.
They said now there are only 1,100 ophthalmologists in the country and the number will be required to enhance to 1,600 by 2020.
Line Director of National Eye Care (NEC) Prof Dr Golam Mostafa said the number of optometrists and mid-level eye care professionals will also be needed to increase several times.
According to him, Bangladesh now has only around 200 optometrists and about 2000 mid-level eye care professionals and the numbers required in 2020 will be 1,600 and 6,400 respectively.
Ex-Advisor to the Prime Minister Prof Syed Modasser Ali was present at the event as the chief guest.
WHO Regional Adviser (Disability, Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation) for South-East Asia Dr Patanjali Dev Nayar, Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Vice-President Prof Ava Hossain, DGHS ex-Director General Prof Deen Mohd Noorul Huq, OSB President Prof Md Sharfuddin Ahmed and National Eye Care Line Director Prof Dr Golam Mostafa attended it as special guests.
IAPB Bangladesh Chapter Chair and ADG at DGHS Prof AHM Enayet Hussain chaired the event while IAPB Regional Chair for Asia Dr Taraprasad Das presented the keynote speech.
Around 60 representatives from local and international NGOs and development agencies attended the workshop.
Syed Modasser said that the national efforts for attaining universal eye health have to be strengthened.
Patanjali Dev hailed Bangladesh government’s initiatives for ensuring eye care services for the patients in the country.
