Premium

AIIMS launches special myopia clinic for children

The clinic will run from Monday to Saturday and will be manned by two faculty members, senior ophthalmic technicians and counsellors.

Dr Titiyal said that through the clinic, a large database will be established in the coming few years to issue guidelines for management of myopia among school-going children.

Amid rising cases of nearsightedness among children, AIIMS Thursday launched a special myopia clinic targeting patients below 15 years of age. The clinic will run from Monday to Saturday and will be manned by two faculty members, senior ophthalmic technicians and counsellors.

“We have started this clinic, especially for children with myopia, so that we can give them comprehensive management. We see more than 1,000 kids with myopia every year,” said Dr JS Titiyal, chief of Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS Delhi. The clinic will target screening, proper refraction, and provide suitable glasses, in addition to other interventions to decrease the progression of myopia by giving them optical treatment, medical management and counselling.

Dr Titiyal said that through the clinic, a large database will be established in the coming few years to issue guidelines for management of myopia among school-going children. “This will be helpful for people getting referred to our centre from peripheral areas for proper management. We will also work with various ministries, education ministry, health ministry, to make guidelines for school, screening programmes, getting proper refraction for kids found to have defective vision and regular follow-ups,” said Dr Titiyal.

Story continues below this ad

He added that the hospital is looking at medical treatment and optical management to decrease progression in these kids. “…because higher the myopia, higher is the chance of other associated problems,” he explained.

Dr Titiyal also cautioned that at the current rate, more than 50% of the population will be myopic by 2050. According to an AIIMS study, myopia is an emerging public health problem in both urban and rural school-going adolescents in India and requires urgent attention.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram