Colombo –  A group of 225 ophthalmologic nurses and operating theatre personnel specializing in eye care from hospitals in seven districts will attend an IOM / Australian Red Cross (ARC) training workshop in Colombo on Sunday, April 9th.

The workshop, which is part of IOM's ARC-funded Eye Care programme targeting over 100,000 people from tsunami-affected communities and low-income families, will be held at the Sri Lankan Medical Association Auditorium.

Workshop participants will be trained to handle, maintain and sterilize surgical instruments, to assist during cataract surgery and to provide post-operative eye care.

The IOM / ARC programme is designed to help reduce visual impairment through improved access to ophthalmologic diagnosis and care via mobile eye clinics. It will contribute to the upgrading of local facilities and the transfer of skills to Sri Lankan professionals, as well as promoting health education to raise awareness of major causes of visual impairment and how best to prevent it among communities.

"These eye care professionals are important public focal points, disseminating information on eye hygiene, stressing the importance of immunization against rubella, and recognizing eye problems in children," said IOM Health Officer in Sri Lanka, Dr Qasim Sufi.

Other workshops planned under the programme include training for primary eye care workers in recognizing eye problems, checking visual acuity, outpatient pre- and post-operative eye care and health education.

IOM will also organize mobile eye camps in the districts of Ampara, Batticaloa, Hambantota, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Trincomalee, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Sri Lanka College of Ophthalmologists and the World Health Organization.

The mobile eye camps will offer treatment or spectacles. IOM will also support cataract operations by providing lenses and equipping local hospitals to perform the surgeries.

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For more information please contact: Dr Qasim Sufi, Tel.:++94 773 207601, Email: qasims@iomsrilanka.org