India Vision Institute (IVI), the NGO working to provide access to eye care services to the underprivileged across India, is organising free vision and diabetic screening in Chennai today, to commemorate World Diabetes Day.
Diabetes is assuming alarming proportions in India. IVI’s CEO Vinod Daniel said, “there is need to raise awareness about the effect of the disease particularly on eye health.”
“The damage that diabetes can do to people’s health, including the risk it poses by way of a range of conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, which is a cause for blindness, needs to be conveyed to the public through education and awareness campaigns,” Mr Daniel noted.
To mark World Diabetes Day, IVI also organised an online awareness talk by Dr Rajiv Raman, Senior Consultant, Department of Vitroretinal Services, Sankara Nethralaya.
“We hope today’s generation will work towards avoiding diabetes and in the process also not get secondary diseases,” Mr Daniel added.
The screening being organised at St. Peter’s Church, West Madha Street, Royapuram, will include refractive error correction and Diabetic Retinopathy screening.
Since its inception, in addition to providing access to vision screening and a pair of free corrective glasses to people in need, IVI has worked in activities to raise awareness about diabetic retinopathy (DR), online panel discussions, capacity building workshops and short-term fellowship programs for optometrists in association with LV Prasad Eye Institute to equip trainees with the required skill sets in screening and management of DR.
