Mobile Eye Clinic Unit to cover Community Health Centres even in remote locations

Mysore/Mysuru: A Mobile Eye Clinic Unit has arrived in Mysuru which will be conducting free eye screening camps in community health centres and distant villages of Mysuru district.

Previously, due to the unavailability of vehicles from the Health Department, screening was limited within the city limits. However, as part of the National Blindness Control Programme, the State Government has provided a Mobile Eye Clinic Unit to Mysuru district, enabling eye screening camps in the nine Community Health Centres (CHCs) and distant villages of the district.

The Mobile Eye Clinic Unit will travel on designated days to these nine CHCs located in Jayanagar, Mysuru city, Jayapura, Rural Mysuru, Hullahalli in Nanjangud, Talakad in T. Narasipur, Mooguru, Bannur and Saligrama in K.R. Nagar.

After conducting examinations, patients selected for surgeries will be referred to the Taluk Hospitals and District Hospitals for surgical intervention. After surgery, the patients will return  to their respective places.

Monthly schedule

As per the schedule specified by the Health Department, in the first week of the month, the Mobile Eye Clinic Unit will operate from Monday to Thursday, serving Jayanagar and Jayapura, both urban and rural centres.

In the second week of the month, screening will be conducted in Tagadur and Hullahalli in Nanjangud. In the third week, eye camp will take place in Talakad, Mooguru and Bannur in T. Narasipur taluk. In the fourth week, visits will be made to the CHC at Saligrama in K.R. Nagar and Saragur in H.D. Kote.

In the Mobile Eye Clinic Unit vehicle, there is a team of ophthalmologists, eye specialists, District Health Education Officers and nursing staff. All necessary equipment is provided in the vehicle to facilitate examinations. Screening is conducted for various eye-related issues such as eye defects, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, corneal opacity, etc.

Additionally, it collaborates in conducting eye examinations for students and teachers in schools. Awareness is also created through audio, video and poster presentations.

These Mobile Eye Clinic Units are successfully operational in 17 districts including Belagavi, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Hassan, Udupi, Tumakuru, Bengaluru Urban, Bidar, Ballari, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagalur, Haveri, Koppal, Kalaburagi and Dharwad.

Next year, the services of mobile medical units will be extended to eight more districts including Davangere and Mandya, thus enhancing effective eye screening activities in remote places of both rural and urban regions.

In the past, due to the unavailability of Health Department vehicles, screening was only conducted within the city limits. However, now, with the provision of a Mobile Eye Clinic Unit through the National Blindness Control Programme in Mysuru district, it will be more convenient for people in rural areas and school students to access screenings. In the coming days, the number of camps will increase. — Dr. P. C. Kumaraswamy, Mysuru District Health Officer

National Blindness Control Programme beneficiaries

•             2022-23: 437 individuals

•             2023 till Jan. 24, 2024: 476 individuals

School screenings In 2022-23

•             Screened: 1,11,974

•             Individuals with eye problems: 2,329

•             Spectacles provided: 1,972

From 2023 till Jan. 24

•             Screened: 1,98,436

•             Individuals with eye problems: 4,800

•             Spectacles provided: 4,800

Senior Citizens In 2022-23

•             Individuals with vision impairment: 3,302

•             Spectacles provided: 3,200

In 2023-24

•             Individuals with vision impairment: 8,792

•             Spectacles provided: 7,500