Appasamy Associates Pvt Ltd (AAPL), an Indian ophthalmology company engaged in the development, manufacturing and distribution of ophthalmic equipment, has joined hands with Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, India, to organise a series of eye care awareness initiatives in Chennai.
The programme focused on preventive eye care, early detection and timely access to treatment, bringing together eye-care professionals, volunteers and members of the community through awareness and outreach activities.
Eye care awareness video launched
As part of the initiative, Appasamy Associates and Vision 2020 India launched an Eye Care Awareness Video featuring former Indian cricketer and Vision 2020 India Goodwill Ambassador K. Srikanth.
The video focuses on glaucoma awareness and eye donation, with Srikanth encouraging people to take proactive steps to protect their vision and undergo regular eye screening.
The programme also featured discussions on cornea donation and disability equality, besides the announcement of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Guru Dronacharya Award by Vision 2020 India.
A panel discussion brought together eye-care experts to discuss issues surrounding preventive care, awareness and early intervention.
Over 350 participate in human chain
The awareness campaign was extended to the community through a Human Chain Formation Activity involving more than 350 participants.
The participants included ITI students, teams from Appasamy Associates and Vision 2020 India, as well as 53 visually impaired volunteers from Nethrodaya Social Service Institution, Chennai.
The activity aimed to encourage members of the public to pledge their support for cornea donation and raise awareness about the importance of restoring vision.
An eye screening camp was subsequently organised, providing more than 400 community members access to eye screening and encouraging them to seek professional consultation where required.
Focus on preventive eye care
Appasamy Associates, CEO, Senthil Kumar, said preventive eye care and regular screening can help identify vision-related conditions at an early stage.
“Eye health is an essential part of overall well-being, yet several vision-related conditions can remain undetected. Through our World Sight Day initiatives, we aim to take the message of preventive eye care to the community and encourage people to make regular eye screening a priority, which will enable early treatment when needed,” he said.
Vision 2020 India, President, Kuldeep Singh, said the organisation’s World Sight Day efforts were aimed at reinforcing the importance of protecting sight and addressing avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
“On World Sight Day, we join the global community to highlight the priceless gift of sight and recommit to our shared mission: eliminating avoidable blindness and visual impairment,” he said.
The initiative forms part of Appasamy Associates’ continued focus on eye care awareness, accessibility and community outreach, with an emphasis on early detection, preventive care and reducing avoidable vision impairment.