The 9th General Assembly (9GA) of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) will be held in Hyderabad from September  17-20.

The main theme of the assembly this year is, “Eye Health: Everyone's Business” and will bring together ophthalmologists, optometrists, public health specialists and other professionals involved in blindness prevention, from around the world.

The 9GA will present new approaches and practical solutions to improving eye care. Topics will include global blindness prevention, cataract, refractive error, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, childhood blindness, corneal blindness and eye banking. Delegates will also learn of the progress being made towards the goal of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight (IAPB’s joint initiative with the World Health Organization for the elimination of avoidable blindness).

An estimated 12 million of India’s 1.12 billion people are blind and an additional 456 million require vision correction. Knowing that 80 per cent of blindness is avoidable, the Indian Government has significantly increased its blindness prevention efforts over recent years. This deputation will provide a conduit for cutting-edge developments to reach the millions of Indians affected by avoidable blindness.

Dr Gullapalli N Rao, chairman of the L V Prasad Eye Institute and a past president of IAPB said, “This deputation demonstrates the on-going commitment by the Government to combat avoidable blindness. The 9GA will provide the ophthalmologists with practical skills and the latest knowledge which they will take back to their districts, enabling improvements to be implemented in existing programmes. It has the potential to ultimately facilitate thousands more people having their sight restored and blindness prevented.”

Ophthalmologists from each of the 640 districts in India will have the opportunity to attend this year’s premier event in blindness prevention and visual impairment with support from the National Programme for the Control of Blindness (NPCB). One ophthalmologist from each district will be deputed to attend the 9GA, facilitating the distribution of knowledge across the country. Forty courses, lectures and symposia, presented by 150 of the world’s leading experts on blindness prevention and low vision, will be on offer to the privileged group.