Odisha govt launches eye health prog. Here are its benefits including free treatment

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government today launched Universal Eye Health Programme (UEHP) with the state becoming the first in the country to formulate such a scheme.

Inaugurating it at the state level function for observance of World Sight Day-2017, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the government is planning to spend over Rs 600 crores from its own sources in the next 5 years for this programme.

“Vision centres equipped with appropriate eye-care facilities will be established across the state initially at all community health centres and later on at primary health centres or even sub-centre level to cover the entire population,” the CM said.

Here are the benefits of the Universal Eye Health Programme:

• It will focus on providing comprehensive eye care to people of Odisha which will be available on continuous basis, accessible, affordable and equitable of all age group from birth to old age.
• All cataract cases in Odisha which constitutes 80 per cent burden of blindness will get free operation facility and appropriate glasses.
•  All school students will be screened for refractory error and other eye problems and accordingly will be supplied spectacles free of cost in the school itself.
• All people suffering from defective near vision will also be supplied free spectacles.
• Maximum numbers of corneal blind people can get back their vision through corneal transplantation surgeries free of cost.
• Massive screening program will be undertaken to detect diabetes retinopathy which is emerging as a major cause of blindness due to increasing cases of diabetes and treatment will be provided free of cost at district hospitals.
• In the next 3 months, all Glaucoma cases will be provided free treatment lifelong.
• Eye problems in early childhood will be identified through screening followed by free treatment.