(TibetanReview.net, Aug31’24) – At 14.6%, the incidence of cataracts is 60% higher in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) vis-à-vis the rest of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) due to high latitude, long-term exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays, and a lack of medical facilities, reported shine.cn, the website of the official Shanghai Daily newspaper, Aug 30.
Citing a team of local Shanghai eye experts who conduct a medical aid programme in TAR, providing free diagnosis and treatment there, the report said the disease is also the leading cause of blindness in the region.
The report also said eye diseases are more common in TAR than elsewhere in the PRC.
A team of 14 medical professionals from Guangzheng Eye Hospital Group travelled to Shigatse city in southern TAR to provide free screening and eye surgery to special school students, Tibet-aiding volunteers, and residents, the report said.
It was stated to be the seventh time the hospital had organized doctors’ trips to TAR to provide medical care to the locals.
Dr Feng Fei, vice president of Shanghai Xinshijie Zhongxing Eye Hospital, which collaborated with the ZEISS company and the Shanghai Chenguang Charity Foundation on this mission, has said that overall eye health was a matter of concern among people living on the Tibetan Plateau and needed more social support and awareness.
The experts were stated to have screened teachers and children at Shigatse Special School. Ten children with vision disorders needed further examinations and assessments. Follow-up assistance will be provided to these children so that they can receive medical care in Shanghai or Chengdu, the group has said.
Dr Feng has also said: “During this mission, we performed 20 complex eye surgeries. The majority of patients were elderly and needed cataract or fundus surgery. They were unable to undergo early treatment for a variety of reasons and had to live with eye problems for a long time, which had a significant impact on their lives and jobs.”