| INDIA lives in its villages. According to the data available, there is a big void in eye care facilities for those who really need them. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of blind and visually impaired will double from 180 million to 360 million in the year 2020 unless concerted action is taken. Ninety percent of the world's blind people live in developing countries. FACTS
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One person in the world goes blind, every five seconds. |
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A child goes blind every minute. |
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There are 45 million people who are blind in the world. |
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There are 135 million more with significant loss of vision. |
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80% of blindness is avoidable.. |
TELEOPHTHALMOLOGY
Teleophthalmology holds a great potential to improve the quality, access, and affordability in health care. For patients, it can reduce the need for travel and provide the access to a super-specialist. Ophthalmology lends itself easily to telemedicine as it is a largely image based diagnosis. The rapid progress achieved in the field of Telecommunications renders Teleophthalmology easily feasible.
WHAT IS MOBILE TELEOPHTHALMOLOGY?
It is a mobile unit with all latest equipments for a comprehensive eye examination and a facility to interact with ophthalmologists at the base hospital Sankara Nethralaya, 18, College Road , Chennai for diagnosis and management of eye problems.
A unique teleophthalmology project was started in villages within a 100 km radius of Chennai with a mobile bus offering primary eye care. It was inaugurated by the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, in 2003. The key to the project was a mobile bus, designed by a team from Sankara Nethralaya with assistance from the Indian Space Research organization.
WHAT DO WE DO USING TELEOPHTHALMOLOGY?
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Comprehensive eye examination in rural areas at the patient door step and providing spectacles at nominal cost. |
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Training school teachers for vision screening programs. Selected schools are thoroughly screened and those who require intensive eye examinations are referred to the mobile teleophthalmology unit for further examination. |
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Eye awareness programs |
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Diabetic Retinopathy screening camps, where diabetic patients undergo intensive screening and further treatment laser photocoagulation or surgery is completely free of cost for the patient at the base hospital. |
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Free surgery, post operative care, boarding and spectacles for cases that require surgery at the base hospital. |
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