A group of 225 opthalmologic 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.

For more information please contact:

Dr Qasim Sufi

Tel.:++94 773 207601.

Email: "mailto:qasims@iomsrilanka.org" target="_blank" title=
"">qasims@iomsrilanka.org