PRASAD Eye Care Programs, India

Cataract-related blindness is a huge problem in India. Cataract accounts for 80 percent of the visually impaired in the country. Most of the 22 million people with cataracts cannot afford corrective surgery and are not even aware that their blindness can be cured.

Loss of vision inevitably leads to a loss of livelihood, reducing those suffering from cataracts to a state of complete financial and physical dependence. It also affects their interpersonal and social relationships. Untreated, they lead a lonely life of darkness.

The problem is particularly acute in the Tansa Valley, in Maharashtra, India. Most of the inhabitants eke out a living on under Rs 2,000 ($50) a month. A majority of those suffering from cataracts in the region are illiterate. In addition, most of them cannot even afford the cost of transport to the eye hospital.

In the 1990's, PRASAD Chikitsa began holding free eye camps in the Tansa Valley, and subsequently set up the PRASAD Netraprakash Eye Clinic. Between 2000 and 2005, PRASAD treated over 36,000 patients. PRASAD doctors have performed nearly 5,000 surgeries (more than 3,000 of them free). “Our biggest reward is the look on the face of patients when they discover that they can see,” says Dr Anurag Agarwal, from PRASAD Netra Chikitsa Hospital.

PRASAD set up the Gurudev Siddha Peeth Netra Chikitsa Hospital in August 2003 to provide more comprehensive care to the growing number of patients. The hospital has an in-patient ward with 25 beds. Cataract surgeries are usually performed on an out-patient basis, but the hospital set up the in-patient ward to ensure that patients get proper post-operative care, which is critical for a full recovery.

An out-patient clinic operates from Monday to Saturday and has the latest eye care equipment. The clinic is so well-equipped that only five percent of the patients are referred to higher centers in Mumbai.

PRASAD Netra Chikitsa’s outreach program, through frequent eye camps, plays a critical role in ensuring that inhabitants of the valley get proper care.

Trained PRASAD volunteers fan out across the valley and conduct eye camps and cataract screening camps. But their job does not end with identifying those in need of treatment. When first approached, many of the villagers are apprehensive, and volunteers have to earn their trust and persuade them to undergo treatment. Volunteers also hold follow-up camps to ensure that there are no complications among patients who have undergone surgery.

Between 2000 and 2005, PRASAD volunteers have visited 70,000 houses and reached about 300,000 people. They have held 77 screening camps involving about 20,000 patients.

Like other PRASAD health care programs, its eye care programs are supported by income generated from treating patients who can afford the nominal charges.

PRASAD Eye Care Programs, Mexico

In 1997, PRASAD expanded its eye care program into Mexico, where thousands of people, many of whom lack access to health services, develop cataracts each year. Initially partnerships were established with various health care and government organizations. Then, in 1998, PRASAD de México began to sponsor eye camps in rural areas in Mexico. In the last decade, more than 100 eye camps have been held.

PRASAD de México also has provided hundreds of children with specialized surgery to correct strabismus, a physical defect commonly called cross-eye. In this condition, the eyes are aligned improperly, which results in limited or blurred vision or complete loss of vision. As a result of surgery, children who have been teased and ostracized at school are given the chance to lead productive lives.

Altogether, more than 16,000 adults and children in Mexico have received eye surgery as a result of the PRASAD de México programs.

• Click here to read about our General Health Care, Dental Care, Community Health and HIV/AIDS programs in Tansa.

 

 

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