Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Chennai organized a Blind-folded Human chain to raise awareness around vision impairment on the occasion of World Sight Day 2022. A huge participation of more than 100 members belonging to different age groups comprising College students, Doctors & staff of Dr. Agarwal Eye Hospital and the public held placards participated in the blind-folded human chain which created a mass public awareness about the importance of vision impairment and encourages individuals to take care of their own eye health.
Unoperated cataract and uncorrected refractive error are the leading causes of vision impairment. Other causes such as dry eyes, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, infectious diseases of the eye, and trauma, however, cannot be ignored and need to be addressed. Nearsightedness, or myopia, is becoming more prevalent worldwide. The prevalence of myopia exceeds 28% globally, and there are projections that approximately 50 percent of the world’s population will have some degree of myopia by 2050.
Dr. Manjula Jayakumar, Senior Ophthalmologist, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital said, “Over half of the blindness can be prevented if the eyes are taken care of especially in children. The usage of digital screen-based devices be it mobiles, television or laptops have led to a high number of eyesight complaints especially in children. If one follows the 20-20-20 rule, the chances of eyesight issues can be reduced to a very large extent. Under this rule, a user of any device should take a break every 20 minutes; look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Following this rule helps eyes to be less strained. One should also blink 12 to 14 times a minute to avoid dry eyes.”
“Diabetic patients above 50 years need to get their eyes screened at least once a year by an ophthalmologist, as over 30 per cent of these patients end up developing some form of diabetic eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataract and glaucoma.” added Dr. Manjula Jayakumar.
World Sight Day is annually observed on every second Thursday of October, it aims to draw attention on issue of blindness and visual impairment. This year is celebrated on 13th October and the theme of this year #LoveYourEyes too.
