With ocular trauma causing nearly five per cent of irreversible or permanent blindness in India, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has suggested a string of measures including creation of a national registry, promoting clean fuel and well-ventilated kitchens, banning bows, arrows and sharp toys to help minimise eye injuries, ensuring adequate integrated treatment units and rehabilitation of victims of ocular trauma to minimize eye injuries cases.
The Commission’s suggestions are based on the white paper submitted by the Ocular Trauma Society Of India (OTSI), recently on eye injuries, with India specific data from the international eye trauma registry called IGATES. The paper was prepared in association with Asia Pacific Ophthalmic Trauma Society and All India Ophthalmological society, Dr Ashok kumar Grover, President OTSI said highlighting that major contributors of eye injury are road accidents (34 per cent), sports (29 per cent) and occupation (21 per cent). The ocular structures involved and types of ocular trauma play a significant role in determining the visual outcomes in these patients.
Dr Grover said that the important contributor to vision loss, trauma is responsible for 5 per cent of blindness and can have a devastating impact on all ages. Eye injuries are a preventable cause of blindness, as upto 90 per cent of eye injuries are preventable, yet it remains a significant disabling health problem that affects all age groups, he added. “Most of the injured people are children or bystanders in the young productive age group, highlights the enormous health importance of preventing eye injuries by initiating various preventive measures and enforcing safety precautions,” said Dr Grover.
The Commission has also asked the Centre, states and UT administrations particularly to identify the industries having high potential of ocular trauma and other industrial accidents and make it mandatory for owners of all such industries employing minimum 50 workers to purchase personal accident cover of minimum Rs 15 lakh for each worker engaged by them.
The establishment of an online (web-based) portal or make provision in any existing portal, to record details of each case of ocular trauma and establishment of a special fund, have also been recommended to provide financial assistance to victims of ocular trauma. PNS
Creating public awareness on major causes of ocular trauma and the care and precautions need to be taken to address these causes and to identify the firecrackers which have potential to cause eye trauma and impose a ban on use of such firecrackers, as per the NHRC advisory.
The advocacy committee of OTSI has members including Dr. Purendra Bhasin, Senior Vice president, OTSI, Dr. Shakeen Singh, Vice President, Dr. Mehul Shah, Secretary OTSI and Advocacy committee convenor Dr. T. Nirmal Fredrick.
As road traffic-related ophthalmic trauma has been reported as a significant source of eye injuries, mandatory helmets for two-wheeler riders and mandatory seat belts for all occupants of four wheelers among others have been advised by the NHRC.