Low vision & Refractive error
Who has defined "a person having visual acuity of less than 3/60 with the best correcting glasses in the better eye in daylight is defined as blind". Furthermore, partially sighted or low vision is defined as "the acuity of less than 6/18 with correcting glasses in the better eye in daylight". According to Nepal Blindness Survey (1981), it is estimated that the number of people having low vision is three times more than the number of blind. About 2% of the total population is supposed to have visual impairment in Nepal.
Refractive error is one of the avoidable and treatable childhood blindness. It is one of the most common causes of visual impairment. High refractive error in childhood may lead to amblyopia resulting in permanent loss of vision. It affects the educational activities and personality development and it also becomes socio-economic burden to the family and the nation.Several eye hospitals under NNJS are carrying out low vision and refractive error activities with Himalaya Eye Hospital playing as the focal point. A national level low vision program is being drafted for submission to potential donor agencies.
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- December 6 2011
Two separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed on December 5, 2011 by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu with Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) for providing grant assistance of NRs. 4.42 crores to NNJS for eye care programme in various districts of Nepal during the year 2011-2012. The MOU will cover the cost of conducting over 15,000 cataract surgeries and also provide over 9,300 optical devices to vision impaired children through mobile screening camps to be held in various schools of Nepal as a ‘National Eye Sight Programme’. India will provide additional assistance of NRs. 0.18 crores for conducting 1000 Trachoma surgeries to the NNJS during the year 2011-2012.
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