0.43 per cent of population visually disable in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – An estimated 1.9 million people in Vietnam are visually disabled. Of those, 400.000 persons are two-eye blindness, recently revealed a report by the Vietnam Ophthalmology Association.

A pupil is in an eye-examination in HCMC. (File Photo)

diseases, said the report.

Prevention and treatment of vision loss are among the most cost-effective and successful of all health interventions. These interventions includes cataract surgery to cure this eye disease related to ageing.  However, only about half of patients with cataract is taken surgery each year due to many reasons including poor persons and alone elderly, said an expert.

There has not yet been official number of children affected by eye refraction disorder in Vietnam released by the Association. However, the ratio of eye refraction disorder in children in the country possibly reached 20 per cent in Hanoi, 25 per cent in Ho Chi Minh City and 10 per cent in countryside areas, said a Vietnam Ophthalmology Association’s expert.

Experts said refraction disoder is the main cause to decrease the eyesight.

“VISION 2020: The Right to Sight” is a global initiative, launched in 1999, which aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. VISION 2020 programmes have been adopted in more than 40 countries. Vietnam joined the initiative for the first time in 2003.

Le Ha

Update from: http://english.vietnamnet.vn//social/2008/10/807309/