LAHORE:The third epidemic of blindness due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) has arrived in the country and premature babies are going blind even in smaller cities.
This was informed by Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal Professor Al-freed Zafar and Head of Ophthalmology Department of Lahore General Hospital (LGH) Professor Muhammad Moin while addressing an awareness walk to mark the World Sight Day on Thursday and the theme of the day was “Love Your Eyes”.
They emphasized to improve the quality of neonatal care and to increase the coverage of ROP screening and treatment services across the country.
They added that the purpose of the awareness walk was to describe the features and characteristics of young children presenting with advanced, untreated retinopathy of prematurity, and to determine appropriate screening guidelines for the ROP in Pakistan.
Professor Al-freed said that medical science had proved that diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes are directly related to eyes’ difficulties and one must be careful about it.
The principal PGMI stressed that apart from ensuring moderation in diet, annual eye examination and prompt treatment in case of any complications should be ensured. Similarly, white or black cataract or any other disease affecting vision should be taken seriously and contact the doctors immediately as well.
Moreover,he said that excessive use of laptop, mobiles and other gadgets also damage eyesight and parents must control children in this regard.
A good number of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and patients participated in the walk.