Chennai: Because of the integrated efforts of the government of India, State government of Tamilnadu and various non-government organisations, blindness due to cataract and the cataract backlog has become much less now in comparison to the past, Tamilnadu Governor Banwaril Purohit has said.
‘Blindness due to other problems like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma etc., are increasing, however. So there is a need for a comprehensive approach to take care of not only cataract but also other aspects of curable blindness,’ he said.
The Governor was speaking at the 26th anniversary celebrations of Rajan Eye Care Hospital in the city.
‘Countries like India will also have a need to encourage faster and precision-based systems of medical treatment so that large populations can be covered within shortest possible time. Robotic eye surgery is one such example which is being increasingly adopted to bring in greater precision and speed in surgical procedures related to the eye. In India, Tamilnadu has traditionally been considered as the leader in the use of the latest procedures for medical treatment,’ he said.
Appreciating the good work of Rajan Eye Care Hospital, the Governor said over the last 26 years, it has constantly and consistently ramped up its operations towards prevention of blindness and eliminating avoidable blindness in this part of the country.
Prof Dr Mohan Rajan, chairman and medical director of the hospital and Dr Sujatha Mohan, executive medical director of the hospital, were present.