Feature

Eradicating Blindness
Training on Eye Care

Md.Naibur Rahman Uupol

"BLINDNESS is not the absence of light in our eyes but in our heart” I learned this moral from the training program arranged by Dhaka Urban Comprehensive Eye Care Project (DUCECP) in collaboration with Star Campus, a weekly poublication of The Daily Star, on 13th March, 2010. This five year long project was initiated in October 2008 to provide eye care to poor and extreme poor at minimum or free cost. The project is funded mostly by the Standard Chartered Bank's “Seeing is Believing (SiB)” initiative and Sightsavers International, a UK-based development organisation.

This training programme was facilitated by the Project coordinator M Nurun Nabi and co-facilitated by Dr. Razib Hossain. As a part of their campaign to link up concerned people with this project, they invited members of Star Campus family and some students from different universities. The technical part of this training programme portrayed a view of their project. Their working pattern of introducing eye camp in 15 constituencies of Dhaka city with the support of more than 50 collaborative partners' organisations made them dynamics to reach those who need eye service. Through these eye camps one can easily get the ultimate eye care even operation from the affiliated four hospitals-Islamia Eye Hospital at Farmget, Bangladesh National Society for the Blind (BNSB), Dhaka Eye Hospital at Mirpur, Ad-Din Hospital at Maghbazar, Salauddin Specialised Hospital Ltd. at Hatkhola.

The tactical part was conducted by Dr. Razib Hossain. He said that 80 percent of blindness occurs for cataract (known as Chani in Begali) which can be cured by a simple operation of 10 minutes. I came to know that children can also have Cataract and it eventually may lead to death. Dr. Razib's warm approach and presentation helped all attendees to grasp the medical explanations quite easily.

Till December 2009, approximately 8,558 people have got their sight restored after successful cataract surgeries with the support of this project. Besides surgeries, 65,672 urban people and 1,423 school children, mostly poor, have been examined and 4,082 free glasses have been distributed. It is requested to everyone if you find any poor who is suffering from Cataract or any curable eye disease please send him/her to the nearest (DUCECP) eye camp. Your little help can make a real change in someone's life.

(DU Correspondent, Star Campus)
Photos: Ranak Martin