Vietnam’s eye doctor ratio surpasses WHO recommendation
Vietnam’s ratio of ophthalmologist over the population has surpassed that recommended by the World Health Organization, reported a seminar in Hue city on 12 Oct.
Figures released by the Vietnamese Optometrists Association (VOA) claimed that there are 1,030 ophthalmologists across the nation.
“With the ratio of one ophthalmologist for every 77,670 people, Vietnam has surpassed the ratio of 1: 250,000 recommended by the World Health Organization,” stated the association’s report.
Over 100 eye-care practitioners attended the seminar on “Blindness Prevention and Techniques in Optometry,” held in the Central Vietnam city of Hue Tuesday by the Vietnam Optometric Association.
The seminar aimed to tackle blindness and visual rehabilitation in a systematic and cost-effective way as well as providing eye-care practitioners such as ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians with the latest professional information in optometry.
However, the VOA report warned that eye-care practitioners were not evenly distributed across the nation, with most ophthalmologists working in major cities rather than rural areas.
“There is a drastic shortage of experienced eye-care practitioners in mountain areas and several southern provinces,” the report highlighted.
The report also stated that the program to replace cataracts with intraocular lenses has proved very successful, with an estimated 97, 000 patients annually recovering their full sight.
Reported by Bui Ngoc Long – Translated by Tran Phong.
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 13 October, 2004, 00:08:39 (GMT+7)
Copyright Thanh Nien News
