South-East Asia Eye Health

The book covers all aspects of eye health in South-East Asia from public health to health system to education to industry in 6 sections. The World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia region comprises of 11 countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste. This region is home to 26% of world population; there is a disproportionate amount of blindness (30.6%) and visual impairment (36%).

This is a first of its kind book that discusses common conditions of visual impairment and blindness in the South-East Asia region. In addition, the book documents the current eye care industry in the region and the contribution of all eye health INGOs in eye care program planning and service delivery for many decades. Majority of the countries in the South-East Asia region are categorized in ‘middle-income country’ group. This book discusses the common challenges in these countries such as, suboptimal public expenditure in health, acute shortage of skilled eye health workforce, and rudimentary health industry. 

The book covers the following 6 sections:

1.       Geographic description and health indices of the region

2.       Health system evolved over years, including universal eye health, health financing and health management information system (HMIS)

3.       Common eye problems including non-communicable disease NCD (and diabetic retinopathy), neglected tropical disease NTD (and Trachoma)

4.       Health workforce in the region that includes ophthalmologists, optometrists, and allied ophthalmic personnel

5.       Eye health support in the region of 13 international non-government organizations (INGOs) working for decades

6.       Eye health industry in the region that includes spectacles, ophthalmic devices and equipment and the pharma industry

The book would be a useful resource for ophthalmologists, all public health personnel and policy makers in eye health in the South-East Asia region specifically and all ophthalmologists and scientists interested in public health all over the world as well as for program planning to reach the 'Health for All' strategy by 2030 (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 2030).

Dr. Taraprasad Das is currently Vice Chairman of the L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India; former Regional Chair, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), South East Asia; Fellow, National Academy of Medical Sciences, India; and Fellow, Academy of Asia-Pacific Professors in Ophthalmology, AAPPO. He is Professor of ophthalmology at Sun Yet-Sen University, Guangzhou, China and University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, NY, USA. Dr Das is fellowship trained specialist in medical and surgical management of vitreoretinal diseases. He has received 18 research grants, has published over 300 research papers, written 51 book chapters and has edited and authored several books in ophthalmology. His current research interests are diabetic retinopathy, infective endophthalmitis and public health ophthalmology. In the capacity of the South East Asia Regional Chair, IAPB he has travelled and worked extensively in the countries of the region. He is closely involved in population surveys in Maldives, Timor Leste and Bhutan, in school eye health studies in Bhutan and the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh. Dr. Das has delivered 21 eponymous lectures in India and abroad; the Government of India conferred him high civilian honor (Padma Shri) in the year 2013.

Dr. Patanjali Dev Nayar, an Ophthalmologist and Public Health Specialist has spent large part of his professional life in serving public healthcare system. Dr Nayar made a very successful transition from clinical ophthalmology to public health and is currently the Regional Adviser for Disability, Injury prevention and Rehabilitation for the World Health Organization (WHO), Regional office for South East Asia (SEARO), New Delhi. Previous to his current assignment he was the Program Management Officer (PMO) with WHO-SEARO; Medical Officer at the WHO office at Male, Maldives; Technical Officer WHO, Regional Office for Western Pacific (WPRO), Manila; as well as Technical Officer with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India Office.

Dr. Nayar has been instrumental in leveraging resources for blindness mitigation and visual rehabilitation by establishing expert groups, facilitating regional and national meetings of experts, and building and consolidating partnerships with various centers of excellence in the South East Asia region and developing them as WHO collaborating Centers. He has been instrumental in supporting WHO Collaborating centres in building capacities for mitigation of Low Vision and the rehabilitation of the blind. He supported the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to conduct nationwide School Eye Health Survey in Bhutan. Strengthening access to Assistive Technology (AT) products and technical innovations to people in need has been one of his special interests and was actively involved in finalizing the WHO Priority Assistive Products List (APL) as well as its launch in Geneva. He supported member states to advance their efforts to adopt the WHO Priority APLs and to develop national Assistive Technology (AT) Apex Centers. Dr Nayar brings a firm commitment to improve access to eye care services, AT, and innovations for people with visual impairment, especially in the low resource settings and with emphasis on gender and financial equity.