Benguela – More than 30 surgical operations to eliminate cataracts have been carried out daily in the centre-west Benguela Province, as part of a campaign promoted by the International Ophthalmological Centre of Benguela, ANGOP learned Tuesday.
The three-day campaign is aimed at reducing the number of patients on the waiting list for surgery in the scope of the celebration of the centre's 15th anniversary.
On average, 12 people are diagnosed daily with the disease in this hospital unit, which performs around 1,200 surgeries annually.
According to the clinical director of the country's reference Ophthalmological Centre, Ernesto Ussengue, on the first day of the campaign, 35 surgeries were performed.
He said that the hospital unit receives a large number of patients from all over the country.
Ernesto Ussengue said that cases of cataracts are reversible after surgery.
This is the first type of campaign carried out by the centre and is carried out by four Angolan and eight Cuban physicians.
Cataracts are an eye disease in which vision becomes blurred. It occurs mainly as a result of aging, however, there are cases of cataract from birth period or caused by factors such as excessive exposure to the sun without appropriate glasses.
This illness is the leading cause of blindness in the world. CRB/MRA/jmc
