Aravind Eyecare partners with ZEISS to launch first of its kind Myopia Management Centre in Coimbatore
New Delhi : Aravind Eyecare, India’s largest eyecare provider launched a unique and first-of-its- kind myopia management center - Myopia Clinic - at its Coimbatore branch, in collaboration with ZEISS, the name synonymous with medical tech innovation in Ophthalmology. The Myopia Clinic will provide the latest treatments that can slow down the progression of myopia in children. It will build awareness about addressing the impact of myopia in children so that the chances of developing sight-threatening complications are reduced as they grow old.
When the pandemic hit, everyone was locked in their homes. With no outdoor activity, kids took to playing games on their smartphones or laptops. Reading increased, classes went online, and the amount of screen time went exponentially high. In the last two years, several reports suggest that more and more children who went for an eye-checkup had myopia – either their power has increased, or they have become myopic. The incidence is so large that doctors believe that it is also COVID-induced due to lockdown.
Speaking about the launch, Renowned Ophthalmologist Dr.Kalpana Narendran, Chief – Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore said, “Myopia is rising in severity and being diagnosed at a very early age amongst school children. It is extremely worrying to see such an increase in Myopia (nearsightedness) and its severity making it a major cause of attention and concern. Myopia is considered “multifactorial”. In addition to genetic causes, the main reasons are environmental and lifestyle changes. Urbanization, digitalization, increased levels of education, more indoor activities, and consequently a lack of natural light are considered factors that increase the prevalence of myopia. No one in the industry currently has the one-and-only treatment for reducing myopia because of its ˝multifactorial˝ causes.”
She added, ‘With the launch of this super specialty Myopia Clinic, we aim to build awareness about the severity of myopia and offer parents, children, and young adults the right guidance, counsel, and technology to manage myopia efficiently. We will strive to increase accessibility to Myopia management, with this center being the first we will continue to launch Myopia management centers across India.
Rohan Paul, Business Head, ZEISS Vision Care said, “we are all aware that Myopia has become a major public health problem globally, with a prediction that up to 50% of the world population will be myopic by 2050 and recent COVID lockdowns appear to have only worsened the situation. India’s 1.3 billion people make it the second- most populous country in the world, but with an average age of 29, it has one of the youngest populations globally. As more patients – and their parents –seek effective interventions, practitioners should prepare to meet this oncoming public health demand. Our collaboration with Aravind Eyecare will enable patients to avail specialized treatments which include pharmaceutical agents like low dose atropine, spectacle lenses like ZEISS MyoVision Pro, ZEISS MyoKids, Orthokeratology (Ortho-K),specially designed contact lenses, and lifestyle modification counseling to slow down the progression Myopia in the future.”
About Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore
Dr.Venkataswamy, our founder, wished to establish an alternate health care model that could supplement the efforts of the government and also be self-supporting. Following his retirement at age 58in 1976, he established the GOVELTrust under which Aravind Eye Hospitals were founded. What started as an 11-bedhospital has now become the conglomerate, Aravind Eye Care System. Today, Aravind operates a growing network of eye care facilities, a postgraduate institute, a management training and consulting institute, an ophthalmic manufacturing unit, a research institute, and eye banks. Aravind’s eye care facilities include 14 eye hospitals, 6 outpatient eye examination centers, and 100 primary eye care facilities in South India. Over the years, this organization has evolved into a sophisticated system dedicated to compassionate service for sight. At Aravind, 50% of its patients receive services either free of cost or at a steeply subsidized rate, yet the organization remains financially self-sustainable. Much importance is given to equity –ensuring that all patients are accorded the same high-quality care and service, regardless of their economic status. A critical component of Aravind’s model is the high patient volume, which brings with it the benefits of economies of scale. Aravind’s unique assembly-line approach increases productivity tenfold. Over 4.5 lakh eye surgeries or procedures are performed a year at Aravind, making it the largest eye care provider in the world. Since its inception, Aravind has handled more than 6 crores (65 million) outpatient visits and performed more than 78 lakh (7.8 million) surgeries. The Aravind Eye Care System now serves as a model for India, and the rest of the world. Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and strabismus The Paediatric ophthalmology services are unique in providing comprehensive services to all children aged below 15 years and are well recognized as one of the best services in the country and internationally. The clinic is dedicated to the development of special techniques for examining and treating children's eye diseases. The most common childhood eye diseases treated in this clinic are refractive errors, strabismus, amblyopia, congenital cataract, genetic eye diseases, and congenital glaucoma. Jointly with the retina services, it conducts screening and treatment of premature babies for ROP and makes all efforts to enhance the residual vision in children with visual impairment by providing either optical or non-optical low vision aids. Department of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismusat Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore examines and treats around 50, 000 Paediatric patients annually and performs around 1000 Paediatric surgeries.
About ZEISS
ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling more than 6.4 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets (status: 30 September 2019). Forits customers, ZEISS develops, produces, and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, and binoculars. With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare, and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership. With over 31,000 employees, ZEISS is active globally in almost 50 countries with around 60 sales and service companies, 30 production sites, and 25 development sites. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.
About Zeiss Vision Care
ZEISS Vision Care is one of the world's leading manufacturers of eye glass lenses and ophthalmic instruments. The unit is allocated to the Consumer Markets segment and develops and produces offerings for the entire eyeglass value chain that are distributed globally under the ZEISS brand.
