IOM has signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan government to provide eye care services to people in seven tsunami-affected districts of the country.

Over 100,000 people from tsunami-affected communities and low-income families will benefit from the IOM project funded by the Australian Red Cross. The objective is to reduce visual impairment among people through improved accessibility to ophthalmologic diagnosis and care via mobile eye clinics.  Following the tsunami, many survivors lost their spectacles and have been displaced into unfamiliar surroundings.

"Loss of sight is not merely a medical problem but has huge psychological consequences for the affected people," says Dr. Qasim Sufi, IOM Sri Lanka's Health Coordinator. "In many cases, it is possible to alleviate the suffering through appropriate medical care. This can open up economic and social opportunities to the affected people and reduce any additional burden on their families."

IOM will organize mobile eye camps in the districts of Ampara, Batticaloa, Hambantota, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Trincomalee in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka College of Ophthalmologists and the World Health Organization. If sight-related problems are detected, beneficiaries will receive treatment or spectacles. Also, IOM will support cataract operations by providing lenses and equipping local hospitals to perform the surgeries.

"IOM will coordinate the project and local health officials will be responsible for providing the necessary medical care to people. The idea is to transfer the management of the project to the Sri Lankan authorities in the long term. That's the only way to ensure the sustainability of the project," said Christopher Gascon, IOM's Sri Lanka chief of mission.

One of the key aims of the project, which follows from a pilot eye care programme carried out last year, is to build the capacity of the health system to meet the eye care needs of the communities. Local health workers at both the community and hospital levels will receive training, and eye care centres will be provided with basic medical equipment and supplies. The project will also involve a health education campaign to make the communities aware of major causes of visual impairment and how best to prevent it.

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For more information please contact: B. Ranjitha, IOM Sri Lanka, Tel: +94-115-333-432 / +94-0773597349, Email: ranjithab@iomsrilanka.org