Economic Reporter :
Bangladesh has estimated 586,880 to 784,000 people with blindness in the age group of over 30 years. Yet many of the blinding conditions are preventable and treatable, particularly refractive error and low vision, said a press release.
Eye physicians said many of these people are unnecessarily suffering. “Eye problems decreases productivity significantly and if the condition is not treated early, it adds on compound effect. It raises a huge burden on economy as well as on productivity”, they said while addressing a daylong training workshop.
Bangladesh Optometric Society (BOS) organized the workshop at a hotel at New Elephant Road in the capital on Wednesday.
Citing Bangladesh National Blindness and Low Vision Survey (2002), they said that there are about 3.3 million cases, of refractive error in adults and 1.3 million cases among children (i.e. 3.5 percent of the whole population). Despite the huge numbers of people are in need of refractive error correction, only percent them use spectacles and the rest remain uncorrected. Additionally, about 7.2 million people suffer from visual impairment and low vision.
“On the other hand, there is extreme scarcity of ophthalmologists in the country. As reported by Eye Care Capacity Assessment Survey (2006), there are 626 Ophthalmologists working nationwide in the government, NGO and private (for profit) sector hospitals. Again, ophthalmologists in Bangladesh are usually posted in bigger towns and cities”.
Bangladesh has estimated 586,880 to 784,000 people with blindness in the age group of over 30 years. Yet many of the blinding conditions are preventable and treatable, particularly refractive error and low vision, said a press release.
Eye physicians said many of these people are unnecessarily suffering. “Eye problems decreases productivity significantly and if the condition is not treated early, it adds on compound effect. It raises a huge burden on economy as well as on productivity”, they said while addressing a daylong training workshop.
Bangladesh Optometric Society (BOS) organized the workshop at a hotel at New Elephant Road in the capital on Wednesday.
Citing Bangladesh National Blindness and Low Vision Survey (2002), they said that there are about 3.3 million cases, of refractive error in adults and 1.3 million cases among children (i.e. 3.5 percent of the whole population). Despite the huge numbers of people are in need of refractive error correction, only percent them use spectacles and the rest remain uncorrected. Additionally, about 7.2 million people suffer from visual impairment and low vision.
“On the other hand, there is extreme scarcity of ophthalmologists in the country. As reported by Eye Care Capacity Assessment Survey (2006), there are 626 Ophthalmologists working nationwide in the government, NGO and private (for profit) sector hospitals. Again, ophthalmologists in Bangladesh are usually posted in bigger towns and cities”.
