As many as 5,500 patients across the country have been given cataract surgery and screening for refractive errors under a 45million AUD Avoidable Blindness Initiative funded by the Australian Government in the Asia-Pacific region.

Three hundred eye doctors and technicians have also been trained under the programme.

The figures were released by the National Eye Hospital at a recent workshop on preventing blindness in Hanoi recently, which drew eye doctors and experts from Australia, Cambodia and Vietnam./.