Take care of your eyes, have them checked up in order to prevent blindness later in life.
This was the reminder of the Department of Health (DOH) in recognition to the national observance of September as the Sight-Saving Month whose theme is, “Excellence and Equity in Eye Care: A Human Right”.
According to the 3rd National Blindness Survey conducted in 2002, about 3.4 Million Filipinos are visually impaired. Of these, about 3.2 million have visual impairment in one or both eyes, while 461,121 are blind in both eyes.
Based on the same survey, the top three causes of visual impairment are cataract, error of refraction, and glaucoma.
This year, the DOH and its partner agencies and organizations under the National Committee for Sight Preservation, aims to put up local Committees for Sight Preservation in the different regions and provinces of the country.
These committees will coordinate the delivery of eye care services at the local level, such as eye screening and cataract surgery programs for the indigent constituents of the community. (PIA)
