RAWALPINDI: The Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital will be establishing surgical eye camps in small villages in the Rawalpindi district with help from the local community in order to provide eye care service in remote areas and help eradicate avoidable blindness.

The first camp was established in Lakot Tehsil, Murree. A complete mobile hospital and state-of-the-art electro-medical equipment was moved to the site. The camp includes a field operation theatre, wards for men and women, testing laboratory and an OPD with complete investigation facilities.

On the first day, 43 cataract surgeries were conducted.

Also, 18 cases were temporarily postponed due to patients having high blood pressure, chest infection, diabetes and other complications.

Free spectacles were also given to the patients and a medical team visited the camp site for the first follow up session for post-operative patients. The second follow-up has been scheduled for Aug 3.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the camp, Al-Shifa Trust President retired Lt Gen Hamid Javed said out of the box solutions are needed to eliminate blindness.

Some 50 surgical camps will be established all over the country and an outreach program will continue throughout the year,` he added, Mr Javed said that around 5,000 cataract surgeries will be conducted under this initiative at an annual cost of Rs80 million.

Al-Shifa Centre for Community Ophthalmology General Manager Dr Tariq Usman said free eye camps will be established in remote areas where patients lack access to and resources for quality medical facilities.

Providing free of cost preventative, promotive and curative eye care services to people in remote areas with the help of local communities with the aim of eliminating preventable blindness,` he said.