HEALTH

Focus on lens care
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 30 — There is need to ensure that patients are selected carefully, imparted proper instructions about lens care and that the lenses are fitted by trained and educated contact lens practitioners. This was the focus during the two-day Contact Lens Education Programme, which began here yesterday. It is being organised by the Department of Ophthalmology, PGI, in association with LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad.

Dr Jagjit Singh Saini, Additional Professor of Ophthalmology, PGI, maintained that wearing contact lenses had emerged as a popular mode for correction of refractive errors, all over the world. However, since the past few years, many practitioners were taking the fitting of these lenses very casually, which had added to the incidence of eye-related problems. Hence, it was not essential to create an awareness about the safety and efficiency of contact lenses, but also to train the eye-care practitioners in the latest practice management skills, he added.

Dr Saini further pointed out that with technology promising better materials, designs and care systems, lenses were now available for a wide range of refractive and cosmetic needs. For instance, special contact lenses were now available for myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism and presbyopia. Newer contact lenses were being developed for continuous seven-day-and-night wear and also for extended wear. He informed that the two-day programme would cover the basics of contact lenses, patient and practice management.

Dr K. Vishwanadh from LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, emphasised the importance of fitting contact lenses in children below 12 years of age and even those below two years. He was of the view that if the defect in the vision was not corrected early, there was a possibility of the child becoming blind. The vision maturation takes place up to 7 to 8 years. Lenses should be used for correction of refractive errors at an early age. However, the fitting of lenses should be done very carefully and in case of any complications, patients should be taken to specialised centres. It was not only essential to motivate the parents, but also explain to them the lens care regime so as to avoid contact lens related complications. In children, lenses with extended wear should be fitted for better results.

Contact lenses were merely a substitute for spectacles and wearing the same was not as good as it seemed. The youngsters should abstain from wearing coloured soft contact lenses for cosmetic purposes. Even otherwise, those wearing lenses should ensure that they not sleep with these on, but should remove these in the evening.

Dr S.K. Chopra, President of the Punjab Ophthalmological Society, opined that none of these techniques was without complications. The extent of these depended on the expertise of the practitioner concerned. He pointed out that even in advanced countries like the USA, 80 per cent of contact lenses were fitted by non-opthalmologists. But then there was no short-cut to fitting the lenses and lenses should preferably be fitted by ophthalmologists, who should spend sufficient time explaining proper lens care to them. The patients, on his part, should abide by those instructions and go for regular check-ups.

He lamented that at present, many poorly trained practitioners were busy fitting contact lenses. Deficiencies in training and unfamiliarity with the latest technique of fitting lenses resulted in poor service to prospective patients. Talking about the hazards associated with faulty fittings, he said it often led to corneal ulcers and other bacterial infections. Of late, doctors were recommending therapeutic contact lenses to treat various medical problems of the eye. When all other modalities of treatment fail, lenses are the last resort.

People have recently started going in for laser surgery to improve their vision, but it costs Rs 20,000 and hence is not within the reach of everyone. But contact lenses, which cost anything between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000, if fitted properly, have a good success rate. Later, hands-on skill transfer workshops were organised in keratometry, biomicroscopy, contact lens handling and care, spherical soft lens fitting etc, to give practical training in the latest techniques to the practitioners.

SPORT

Bon Sante wins inter-club title
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, July 30 — Rabinder Pal Singh of the Bon Sante Chandigarh won the Mr Inter Club title in the first Mr Inter Club Body Building Championship organised by the Chandigarh Amateur Body Building Association at DAV College, Sector 10, here today. Bon Sante, which has produced body builders of repute, also won the overall championship and the runner-up trophy went to the Muscle Up Health Club.

Sixty seven body builders from different institutions and health clubs took part in this competition. Mr Vijay Vardhan, Managing Director, Department of Food and Supplies, Haryana was the chief guest. Mr Sunil Walia, President of the association, disclosed that they would soon organise a Ms Fitness event for the girls of the city. Mr Sudhir Gupta, treasurer of the association, said to increase fresh participation, the reigning champions were not allowed to take part.

Results: below 55 kg — Rabinder Pal Singh (Bon Sante, Chd) 1,Vijay Kumar (Muscle Up health club) 2, Gurdarshan (Bon Sante MM) 3; below 60 kg — Ajay (Bod Build) 1, Himanshu (Bon Sante) 2, Naushad (Oceanic, Panchkula) 3; below 65 kg — Sachin (Kopper Kraft) 1, Man Singh Rana (Bon Sante, Chd) 2, Danu (Power zone, SAS Nagar) 3; below 70 kg — Hardeep Singh (Muscle Up) 1, Jaswinder Singh (Bon Sante, Chd) 2, Kanwar Kaul (Kopper Kraft) 3; above 70 kg — Ravinder (Bon Sante, MM) 1, Nirmaljit Singh (Friends Club) 2, Harpal Singh (Bon Sante, Chd) 3.

Carrom championship
By Our Sports Reporter 

CHANDIGARH, July 30 — Sanjay Negi, fourth seed, bowed out of the 10th Chandigarh State Carrom championship being played here at St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, today. He lost to Devinderjit Singh at 25-9, 03-25, 12-14.

Results:

Veterans semi finals: Subash b NS Pahwa 25-03, 25-06; RC Wadhwa b Jugal Kishore 25-00, 25-00

Men singles: Gagandeep Singh b Anu K Papneja 21-16, 25-07; Sumit b NS Pahwa 25-07, 25-00; CM Sharma b NK Arora 25-00, 19-15; Paramdeep b DS Aithani 20-15,19-07; Sudhir Sidhu b Dhruva 25-02, 25-04; Rozerio b Baninder Singh 25-16, 21-25, 24-18; Gurinder Singh b Manat S Rawat 25-05, 25-08; Ramanpreet Pahwa b BS Negi 12-25, 17-16, 16-09; Devinderjit Singh b Sanjay Negi 9-25, 25-03, 14-12; KS Patwal b Harinder Chandel 25-00, 25-00; Darshan Singh b Lalit Saini 25-00, 25-00; Jagdish Dhir b Taranpreet 25-00,25-00; Ajay Gupta b Vinod Vasisht 22-14, 23-16; Deepak Bishnoi b Manoj Gulati 18-04, 25-04; Deepak b Rahul Nanda 23-08, 20-19; Tejinder Harry b Karam 25-05, 19-10.

Junior boys singles: second round — Anu Papneja b Deepak Bishnoi 02-25, 18-16, 25-00; Amandeep Bawa b Amarinder Dhillon 15-13, 00-20, 18-08; Taranpreet Pahwa b Hardeep Harnal 25-01, 20-14; Sumit Chakarvorty b Ravinder Kumar 24-05, 21-14; Paramdeep b Harmanpreet Singh 21-03, 25-05; Devinderjit Singh b Gurinder Singh 21-18, 25-02; Dhruva b Abhey Bedi 25-00, 25-00.

Sub-junior singles: second round — Taranpreet Pahwa b Akram Khan 25-00, 25-00; Amrinder Singh b Satyam Wadhera 25-00, 25-00; Hardeep Harnal b Suraj Kumar 25-00, 25-00; Ravinder b Neeraj Sharma 25-05, 25-13; Rahul Nanda b Harmanpreet 20-16, 16-12; Sumit Aithani b Abhey Bedi 25-04, 18-10; Hargun b Kush Manocha 25-11, 25-08.

Women singles: Sanju Bisht b Raj lakshmi 25-16, 25-03;Veena Dumra b Inder Kanta 22-17, 25-04; Bhanu Jain b Anita Sharma 25-01, 25-00

Boys doubles: Ramanpreet & Baninder b Amit & S. Kharbanda 25-00, 25-00.

ADMINISTRATION

DC heads Zila Sainik Board
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Chandigarh Administration has reconstituted the Zila Sainik Board with the Deputy Commissioner as its President and the Zila Sainik Welfare Officer as its Secretary.

Major-Gen R.S. Mavi (retd) has been nominated as Vice-President, while two non-official members of the board would be Lieut-Col P.C. Sharma (retd) and Col B.S. Sandhu (retd). The two ex-officio official members would include the Subdivisional Magistrate (Central) and the Director, Recruiting, HQs Recruiting Zone, Ambala.

The main functions of the board would be to control and manage the funds allotted by the managing committee of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of ex-servicemen funds for various welfare schemes. It would also coordinate with the work relating to national importance at the district and state levels, besides promoting measures for the welfare and resettlement of ex-servicemen and their families, serving personnel and the families of the deceased persons of armed forces.

Other functions of the board would include dissemination of information to the general public in respect of the armed forces and to take measures to promote interest in the armed forces among the public and to implement the instructions pertaining to ex-servicemen and serving personnel in Chandigarh area and to consider ways and means to augment funds to meet the growing needs of the ex-servicemen.