KABUL (SW): An estimated 2 % of the total population of Afghanistan is reportedly blind, speakers said in connection with the White Cane Safety Day here on Saturday.
It was said that a majority of these people actually can recover their eyesight. Ruya Hassanzadah, the head for public health department at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), told Salam Watandar on the occasion that there an estimated 4000 people with blindness in the country.
Hassanzadah mentioned that 50% of the people with blindness in Afghanistan suffer from cataract. She briefed that cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Many cataracts are related to aging, and can easily be treated. But most blind persons affected with cataract have no idea of whether it is curable and sadly “they live blind and die blind”, she added.
Official at the Ministry of Public Health said that glaucoma is another common eye disease most blinded people suffer from in Afghanistan.
Dr. Asadullah Esmath, head at Noor Hospital, stated that 450-500 patients visit the hospital on daily basis for eye treatment. He added that every single day 4-5 patients come to get their eyes operated upon, and they recover their sights. He added that most people in Afghanistan lose their sights accidentally.
There are very few eye specialist hospitals in Afghanistan. The officials at MoPH however, stated that mobile eye clinics are operational all around the country, covering patients with cataract and glaucoma.
ENDS
