Date:16/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/16/stories/2006111604310300.htm

Karnataka - Bidar

Free eye camp for diabetics on November 19

Staff Correspondent

Bidar: The Indian Medical Association and the Bidar Ophthalmic Association will organise a free eye check-up programme for diabetics, as part of the World Diabetes Day celebrations, in Bidar on Sunday.

Surgeries and laser treatment will be done on poor patients free of cost. Seth Vithaldas Malani Trust and the Seva Netralaya were sponsoring the camp, BOA president Vijay Ballurkar told presspersons on Wednesday.

Patients should bring along their blood and urine reports. Tests will be conducted at the hospitals of Dr. Ballurkar, Nagbhushan Sulgunte, Jayashree Gourishankar, K. Chandrakant and Dilip Dongre and at the Megur Eye Care Centre and Good News Society Hospital.

IMA district president Umesh Megur said that each urban family in India had one diabetes patient now. Every fourth diabetic in the world was an Indian. Diabetics were more prone to eye problems. Blindness owing to diabetes was painless and gradual. Hence there was a greater need to create awareness about such complications in diabetics. Such check-up programmes would help realise this aim, the IMA district president said.