Free eye check up

Ludhiana, September 22, 2012: On the occasion of on-going Pashu Palan Mela at Guru Angad Dev University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences , a two day eye screening camp was organised by Eyeca Eye Hospital, Ludhiana, where 600 farmers were screened for eye problems and free medicines were also distributed.

Dr Pankaj Gupta (Senior Eye Surgeon) spoke on the topic of “Eye care Tips for the farmers”. He said that potential eye hazards are a part of a farmer's daily life. Of course, the eyes have a certain degree of natural protection but the protection is not sufficient against most of today's environmental and machinery hazards. A vision injury could sideline a farmer for many months and therefore cause long-term damage to his or her livelihood.

He said farmers need eye protection for the variety of jobs they do. This includes work around animals and feed, agricultural chemicals, operating and repairing machinery, welding, lumbering and tree trimming, carpentry and other building repairs and blasting or other jobs creating flying debris and particles.

Further, he said farmers should be aware of what eye hazards exist with each task and to determine the best equipment for the right protection.
Ankit Maniktala (Manager, Opticals) advised that farmers should wear wrap-around safety goggles, made of polycarbonate—the strongest lens material available.