CHENNAI: Around 113 out of one lakh population in South India risk losing eyesight due to cataract that can actually be treated, said Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr V S Vijay here on Saturday.Citing recent studies, he said, “The prevalence of corneal blindness in South India is 0.13 per cent.” He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day convention for ophthalmologists organised by the Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society of India (IIRSI).The government, he said, was taking various measures to control cataract-related blindness.Dr Vijay felicitated Dr Amar Agarwal for earning the distinction of becoming the first Indian president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery, American Academy of Ophthalmology for 2012-13.Among various events lined up for the convention are surgeries that will be webcast live. Some of them will be performed at Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital in Gopalapuram. Another surgery exhibiting the Femto cataract surgery will be beamed live from the Maxi Vision Eye Hospital in Hyderabad. There is also a unique event called the Ophthalmic Premier League (OPL), where “only the name is inspired by the IPL”, as the surgeon presenting the event put in jest. This will comprise four teams from different regions competing against each other by presenting videos of challenging surgeries that they had performed before an ‘umpire’ panel. Needless to say, the surgeons are all competing for the OPL trophy on Sunday. Top experts Dr Roger F Steinert and Dr Alaa El Danadhoum were honoured with medals of commendation by the IIRSI which were given away by Minister Vijay. The convention registered close to 1,500 delegates, said IIRSI secretary Mahipal Sachdev.
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