29,000 get back eyesight after cataract surgery in five years

11 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Unb, Dhaka

Over 29,000 poor people got back eyesight after cataract surgery and 1.59 lakh others were provided with primary eye care services free of cost in the city in last five years. Eye camps of Dhaka Urban Comprehensive Eye Care Project of Sightsavers International, Bangladesh, an NGO, have detected cataract (Chhani) patients and operated on their eyes free of cost, says a Sightsavers press release. Some 17,000 poor people got back eyesight after cataract surgery and 75,500 others were provided with primary eye care services in its first phase from July 2005 to Sept 2008 while 12,000 got eyesight and 84,000 others eye care services in its second phase from October, 2008 to till date. Cataract operation, refractive error correction, low vision service and sight testing are among other services, which were given for the poor students, garment workers and bus and truck drivers under this project.