35,000 get back eyesight in 5yr
Around 35,000 eyes got back sight under a project the Dhaka Urban Comprehensive Eye Care Project (DUCECP) over the last five years in capital Dhaka.
Shefali, a 50-year-old widow with four children, was about to become blind due to bi-lateral cataract. But after cataract surgery under the DUCECP, she got back her eyesight.
She is now a busy vegetable trader at Guntigar Bazar in Jurain of the city and maintaining a dignified life with her family. Only two years back, it seemed like a dream.
Like Shefali, a huge number of the poor in Dhaka city who underwent cataract surgery free of cost under the DUCECP has gained a new lease of life.
According to DUCECP, the project began operation in November 2005 to provide eye-care service to the poor city dwellers. About 35,000 impoverished people have got back their sight through the project till April 2011.
During the five year period in two phases, around 35,000 cataract surgeries were performed and some 2.5 lakh eye patients examined under the project.
Among the nearly 12 million population of the capital, some 50,400 adults have been affected by cataract over the years with 10,000 incidence of adult cataract occurring in Dhaka each year. Among the urban poor, over 15,000 are bi-lateral cataract cases and around 22,000 uni-lateral cataract cases.
About 22,000 cataract surgeries are reportedly performed each year in the capital. But the vast majority of these cases either come from outside Dhaka or from upper and middle income group within the city.
The DUCECP estimated that the number of adult cataract is 58,800 and child cataract 1,400 in the capital while adult refractive error is 381,500 and child refractive error 136,500.
The estimated number of adult low vision is 27,300 and child low vision 14,196.
DUCECP Project Coordinator M Nurun Nabi said the slums are providing shelter for around four million people in metropolis Dhaka, who lead subhuman life deprived of many basic human rights.
“They earn their livelihood in low-paid jobs like rickshaw-puller, hawker and domestic help - barely enough for food of the family in exchange of hard physical labour. We are working to help the deprived community, proletariats and the have-nots,” he said.
Sightsavers and Standard Chartered Bank under its “Seeing in Believing Initiative” are providing support to the project which primarily offer free eye treatment to the slum-dwellers in the capital. However, under this project, others are also welcomed for treatment at low cost. To perform its goal efficiently, Dhaka city is divided into four zones.
The project to run till 2013 is being carried out with the help of four hospitals - Islamia Eye Hospital, BNSB Dhaka Eye Hospital, Ad-din Hospital and Salauddin Specialised Hospital Ltd.
Every month, some 600 people get back their sight through successful cataract operations at no or little cost. People specially poor school students, garment workers, and bus-truck drivers are welcome for primary eye check-up and treatment against refractive error, low vision, and DCR-DCT-Ptyrigium with cataract.
Beggars, Zakat-recipients, street children, sweepers, homeless, poor persons with disability, domestic help, women-headed household and UPHCP red card holders receive free of cost service under the Dhaka Urban Comprehensive Eye Care Project.
About the blindness scenario of the country, Bangladesh Blindness and Low Vision Survey report revealed that over 750,000 people (among 30+ years) are blind in Bangladesh. Of them, about 650,000 suffer from cataract (79.6 percent). About 150,000 new cases of cataract are added each year in the country.
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