Working towards achieving avoidable blindness

Health Minister Dr C Laxma Reddy flagged off “Walk for Vision” at KBR Park in Jubilee Hills on Thursday. The event was organised as part of ‘Vision 2020’, a global initiative that aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.

Nearly 1,000 people participated in the walk, which was organised on the theme of this year’s ‘World Sight Day’ that is ‘Stronger Together’. The aim was to create awareness on avoidable blindness among the community.

After the flag off, Laxma Reddy said that all efforts should be made to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. Encouraging the holding of such awareness walks, he said, “Awareness walks to educate masses on eye care should also be held in rural areas where it is needed more than ever.”

Dr Promila Gupta, Deputy Director General, National Programme for Control of Blindness, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was present at the walk. “The ‘I’ in illness can be replaced by ‘we’ in wellness if all work as a team,” she said. “To eliminate avoidable blindness from the country, the government requires the support of eye care fraternity in the country,”

Talking on the significance of the theme, Dr TP Das, Regional Chair, South East Asia, International Agency for Prevention of Blindness and Vice Chair, LVPEI elaborated, “Eye care needs divergent sections of the society, the care givers, the eye care industry and the policy makers. Together, we could build a self-sustainable system of affordable care that is accessible to all: “Stronger Together."

“If we have to achieve the goal, it is vital for all groups who are concerned with eye health to join hands for the ‘Vision’,” agreed Phanindra Babu Nukella, CEO, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight – INDIA.

“Such awareness walks help to raise the importance of eye health in the minds of general community and sensitize. Also, this opportunity can be utilised to raise the profile of eye health and advocate with the government for improved resource allocation,” said R Govind Hari, South Zone Representative of VISION 2020 – INDIA.

Earlier on Thursday, a partnership seminar on this year’s theme was held at Hotel Taj Banjara as a prelude to the walk with a panel of seven members (NGO, Optometry, PPP, GoI, State Govt. INGO and corporate with CSR) who shared their perspectives on the spirit of partnership and encouraged the commitment of eye care fraternity to achieve the mission of eliminating avoidable blindness in the country.

Notable among these speakers included Dr Promilla Gupta; Dr Sara Varughese, President of Vision 2020 India; Dr Taraprasad Das, Vice-Chair, LVPE Institute-Hyderabad; Regional Chair-SEAR IAPB; Dr GVS Murthy, Director of IIPH and others. A comic book, ‘Wear Spectacles and Stay Wise’ was launched on the occasion.