Children's eyecare awareness walk held

Banjara Hills: As part of the Children's Eye Care Week, a Children's Eye Care Awareness Walk was flagged of by pediatric patient Gyan Kumar at LV Prasad Eye Institute on Sunday. Also present on the occasion were Dr Ramesh Kekunnaya, Head of Child Sight Institute, Dr Uppal Gandhi, Consultant at Child Sight Institute and Dr Akshay Badakere, Consultant at Child Sight Institute, LVPEI.

Pediatric patients, children, doctors and volunteers joined the awareness walk. LV Prasad Eye Institute hosted the 'Children's Eye Care Week' with the theme 'Cataract in Children' from November 11 to 17, to sensitise public regarding children's eye health and the available remedies.

Of the 2.2 billion people living with vision impairment or blindness, over one billion cases could have been prevented or are yet to be addressed, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

Initial treatment of childhood cataract is important to enhance vision in life and to minimise amblyopia (lazy eye development). The growing level of cataract in children has become a matter of concern for the specialists.

In India, studies have shown that cataract happens in one to four babies per 10,000 births. The normal lens in the eyes are transparent and allows light to go into the eye without any difficulty. In case of cataract this normal "crystalline" lens becomes opaque, either completely or partly.

"The theme of today's walk is 'Congenital cataract' and we are creating public awareness that this also needs treatment, because if it's detected very early, we can treat the disease. To know how we can detect disease is very important.

When a picture is taken of the kid through cell phone or camera and if you see a white reflex in the eye, that could be because of cataract or any other eye diseases like eye cancer, glaucoma and others," says Dr Ramesh Kekunnaya, Head, Child Sight Institute at L V Prasad Eye Institute.