PM approves blindness prevention strategy

A person gets eye examination. (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Prime Minister has approved the national strategy on blindness prevention until 2020 with a vision to 2030.

The goal of the strategy is to boost people’s access to preventive services like early detection, treatment and recovery of eye functions, reducing the rate of avoidable blindness.

The strategy aims to reduce the rate of blindness to below 4.5 people per 1000 people, increase the rate of cataract surgery to 2.5 people per 1,000 people and increase the rate of people with diabetes examined for eye diseases to over 45 percent.

The responding rates for those goals by 2030 will be below 4 people per 1,000 people for blindness, 3.5 people per 1,000 people for cataract surgery and 75 percent for those with diabetes monitored for eye diseases.

To achieve the goals, the strategy will improve awareness and responsibility of the government at all levels, sectors, organisations and people for blindness prevention and the impact of blindness towards health and productivity.

The strategy also aims to build policies on blindness prevention, control the main reasons for blindness, complete the network of eye-caring services, and ensure an equal approach among children, women, the elderly, and the disabled.-VNA