Gujarat: Diabetic capital tops in diabetic retinopathy too

SURAT: Gujarat, which has earned a rather ignominious tag of being the ‘diabetes capital of India’, also leads other states in diabetic retinopathy (DR), a high sugar-related complication that can lead to blindness.
Data compiled by the National Programme for Prevention of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) shows that Gujarat had 1,574 DR patients, the highest in the country in the current year.In 2019-20 too, there were 1,668 diabetics in the state suffering from DR, which was also the highest in India.

“The data shows a correct and a worrisome trend in Gujarat. We treat around 15-20 diabetic retinopathy patients every month at our hospital,” Dr Uday Gajiwala, ophthalmologist at private-trust run Tejas Eye Hospital in Mandvi town near Surat, told TOI. The hospital carries out 13,000 eye surgeries every year.
Dr Parth Rana, a retina specialist based in Ahmedabad, said, “The cases of DR are increasing in Gujarat. As the symptoms are mild, people don’t go for retina check-up. We have seen several cases where people come for eye check-up for the first time and they are diagnosed with DR as well as diabetes too.”
NPCBVI, which is run by the Union ministry of health, has made a live dashboard on eye care and prevention of blindness in the country. The dashboard has been started recently as there were no recent studies on the prevalence of DR in different parts of India, making it difficult to plan screening and treatment programmes.
The government plans to rope in Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers to conduct door-to-door blood sugar tests.