Eye care camp for Vanni IDPs

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Vision 2020 Secretariat of the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry and the College of Opthalmologists of Sri Lanka has organised a program to provide quality eye care services for over 200,000 IDPs at welfare camps in Vavuniya and Cheddikulam.

The program will be in operation until the people are relocated in their original homes, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said that under this program a team of eye surgeons, doctors and optometrists will visit the camps on June 6. They conducted a service on May 12 covering a large number of IDPs.

They had detected around 1,500 persons with various eye defects. The specialists had referred needy patients to the Vavuniya hospital.

The organisers have planned to conduct the program on a regular basis. The camp will be held once every two weeks to identify, treat, operate and to refer persons with eye problems.

As there are a number of people already blind due to cataract, the organisers will perform surgeries on them in a facility close to the Cheddikulam Hospital and implant artificial lenses (Intra Ocular Lenses) in their eyes which will make them come out of blindness.

In addition a large number of people are in need of reading glasses and they will also be provided reading glasses.

The Ministry appeals to the public to support this program.

Further details can be obtained from the Vision 2020 Secretariat of the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry. The contact number is 0115741815. email [email protected]