Nearly 50,000 people will be given free eye checks, consultancy and surgery in the largest charity vision programme to be held on World Sight Day on October 14 in Hanoi.
The programme, organised by the Hanoi Eye Hospital and the Fred Hollow Foundation, will run in Hanoi until the end of October.
Teams of eye doctors will travel to outlying districts and schools to provide eye examinations and cataract operations.
An estimated 9,000 people aged over 50 in the districts of Soc Son, Ba Vi and Thanh Tri will benefit from the programme.
An additional 25,000 students at 54 primary and secondary schools in Dong Anh district and 1,000 others in Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba Trung inner districts will also receive eye care.
Last month, the programme provided check-ups to more than 13,000 people, mostly elderly and students.
"Blindness prevention is the responsibility of the community and society. On this occasion, we call on volunteers to be involved in blindness prevention," said Vu Thi Thanh, the hospital's director.
According to health sector statistics, there are about 2 million blind people in the country. Two-thirds of these cannot afford treatment or do not know they could have their vision restored. The main causes of blindness are cataracts (66 percent), glaucoma (6.5 percent), refraction deformation and trachoma.
There are about 33,000 blind people in Hanoi , 0.5 percent of the country's population. An estimated 30 percent of these are treatable./.
The programme, organised by the Hanoi Eye Hospital and the Fred Hollow Foundation, will run in Hanoi until the end of October.
Teams of eye doctors will travel to outlying districts and schools to provide eye examinations and cataract operations.
An estimated 9,000 people aged over 50 in the districts of Soc Son, Ba Vi and Thanh Tri will benefit from the programme.
An additional 25,000 students at 54 primary and secondary schools in Dong Anh district and 1,000 others in Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba Trung inner districts will also receive eye care.
Last month, the programme provided check-ups to more than 13,000 people, mostly elderly and students.
"Blindness prevention is the responsibility of the community and society. On this occasion, we call on volunteers to be involved in blindness prevention," said Vu Thi Thanh, the hospital's director.
According to health sector statistics, there are about 2 million blind people in the country. Two-thirds of these cannot afford treatment or do not know they could have their vision restored. The main causes of blindness are cataracts (66 percent), glaucoma (6.5 percent), refraction deformation and trachoma.
There are about 33,000 blind people in Hanoi , 0.5 percent of the country's population. An estimated 30 percent of these are treatable./.
