Avoiding blindness an issue: Doctor

THE number of people becoming blind from preventable causes is increasing due to the lack of eye specialists in Papua New Guinea, an official say.
Health Department deputy secretary Dr Paison Dakulala told The National during the Ophthalmic Clinicians Conference (NOCC) in Port Moresby on Tuesday that the country faced the highest burden of avoidable blindness and visual impairment in the Pacific.
The NOCC is an annual forum that began in 2009 where ophthalmic (eye) clinicians meet, refresh their skills, share experiences, plan and research and exchange knowledge of their clinical practices and attain knowledge of the changing eye health care technology.
Dakulala said 89 per cent of all blindness was caused by untreated cataract and training of the local workforce was the only way to eliminate this burden in a sustainable way.
He said three cadres of eye care personnel ophthalmologists, optometrists (eye doctors) and allied ophthalmic personnel were needed to work as a team in a health facility to effectively and efficiently increase delivery of eye care services.
“But eye clinics in levels 5-7 hospitals and district hospitals are currently under-armed with this eye care personnel,” he said.
“PNG had only 12 local active ophthalmologists (eye doctors) for a population of 8 million.
“With World Health Organisation standard of 1:100,000 ophthalmologists and people ratio, PNG has a long way to meet the required number of 80 ophthalmologists.”