Amid COVID, virtual conference for eye care for underprivileged

"We are hosting a virtual international conference and trade fair 'Eye Health in a Changing World' on October 3-4," a senior official of IVI said. The NGO is working to provide access to vision screening to the underprivileged and helping prevent avoidable blindness across India.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, an NGO is holding a two-day virtual international conference starting Saturday, seeking to address the problems of underprivileged communities who are "unable to get adequate eye care". Over 10 crore Indians need access to a pair of glasses but do not have it, claimed the India Vision Institute (IVI), the NGO hosting the event.

The conference also commemorates World Eye Sight Day which falls on October 8, it said in a statement. "We are hosting a virtual international conference and trade fair 'Eye Health in a Changing World' on October 3-4," a senior official of IVI said.

The NGO is working to provide access to vision screening to the underprivileged and helping prevent avoidable blindness across India. IVI's CEO and Conference Chair, Vinod Daniel, said the conference is being held at the most appropriate time with India's problem of lack of access to eye health and vision care services, especially for the underprivileged and Indians in rural areas.

A virtual trade fair for all is an added attraction at the conference, with over 40 exhibitors showcasing their products, services, and innovations, the official said. The IVI is a not-for-profit registered trust, focussed on supporting and promoting eye health awareness, research, education and technological development in Indian optometry to advance capacity in vision correction, and prevention of eye disease and blindness.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)