21L students to undergo eye check up in Haryana: Health minister

Under this, more than 1.4 lakh spectacles will be distributed simultaneously through 22 district hospitals, 50 sub-divisional hospitals and 122 community health centres of the state.

Haryana health minister Arti Singh Rao on Friday launched “Ujjwal Drishti Haryana Abhiyan” under which free spectacles will be provided to school children and citizens above 45 years of age to undergo near vision correction.

The health minister said that the eyes of about 21 lakh students studying in 14,267 government schools will be examined and free glasses will be distributed among 40,000 needy students. (HT File)

The campaign is being run under the national programme for control of blindness and visual impairment. Under this, more than 1.4 lakh spectacles will be distributed simultaneously through 22 district hospitals, 50 sub-divisional hospitals and 122 community health centres of the state.

The health minister said that the eyes of about 21 lakh students studying in 14,267 government schools will be examined and free glasses will be distributed among 40,000 needy students.

The cataract screening of citizens above 50 years of age will also be done and if required, they will be given free surgery facility in government hospitals or in NGO-run health facilities.

The minister said vision defects are the second biggest cause of blindness after cataract and if not treated in time, it can turn into permanent blindness. Keeping this in mind, this comprehensive campaign is going to become an example at the national level.

She informed that Haryana is the only state in the country which provides assistance of ₹15,000 for free transplant in private and NGO hospitals for the treatment of corneal blindness. More than 800 corneal transplants are being done in the state every year, which is a record at the national level.

Rao appealed to the public for eye donation and said 22 eye donation centres are also operating for this purpose.