The Lion's Sight First-242 Diabetic Retinopathy Pilot Project, being carried out by the Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, will be a model project for the entire world to treat diabetic retinopathy, according to Dr Namperumal Samy, director of the hospital. Diabetic Retinopathy is a major eye-illness for 19 million people affected by diabetes in the country.

The five-year project is half way through. Dr.Samy said the objective of the Rs 2.5-crore project was to prevent blindness resulting from diabetes mellitus, creating awareness in the community that diabetes could affect sight by organising camps, developing service delivery mode for diabetic retinopathy for diabetics.

He further added that there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of diabetic retinopathy patients seeking laser treatment. One feature that compounded the problem has been the awareness level. Many patients seeking laser treatment or otherwise were not aware that every diabetic had the potential to lose sight and as a result they landed at the very last moment.

As part of the project, awareness creation was being done through information, education, communication, seminars and workshops for government PHC doctors and other medical practitioners, besides health education training and guest lectures in voluntary organisations.

The above mentioned project had been launched shortly after the hospital launched the country's first tele-ophthalmology network to further strengthen its mission of eradicating blindness globally, by using the network for patient care, training human resources and capacity building of other eye care programmes. The telelink will initially be provided between the hospital's headquarters in Madurai and its branch at Coimbatore, before linking to other branches in Theni, Tirunelveli and Pondicherry.

Orbis International Works and Acumen Fund, both foreign non-governmental organisations, aid the hospital.