Every 20th Pakistani an eye patient

ISLAMABAD, October 12 (Internews): Every 20th person in Pakistan is suffering from eye diseases and there is a pressing need to rescue people from this menace, says Lt Gen (retired) Jahandad Khan, founder and president of Al Shifa Trust, an eye hospital.

He says there were 1.7 million blind in Pakistan and the number was increasing with every passing day, as the government was not paying due attention to this problem.

Jahandad said the poor could not afford costly private eye treatment. In this scenario, he added, donation was the only way to help the deserving suffering from eye problems, whose number ran in millions.

“Minor eye problem usually causes permanent loss of vision among the poor, as they cannot afford treatment or regular checkups. Eye diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection and treatment can prevent vision loss,” Jahandad said.

He said Al-Shifa eye hospitals with Rs500 million budget were providing free treatment to half a million people annually. “Our hospitals at Sukkur, Kohat and Rawalpindi are providing free treatment to around 1,200 people on daily basis. We will expand our network to Muzaffarabad next year besides constructing a hospital in Quetta soon,” he said.

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