NHRC advisory to Centre, states on treatment, rehabilitation of ocular trauma patients

The NHRC has issued an advisory to the Centre and various states to prevent and minimise the impact of ocular trauma and ensure appropriate standardised treatment and rehabilitation of its victims, officials said.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has made several recommendations too, including establishment of a special fund to provide financial assistance to the victims of ocular trauma, it said in a statement.

The NHRC, headed by justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra, has issued an advisory to the Centre, states and Union Territory administrations ''to prevent and minimise the impact of ocular trauma and to ensure appropriate standardised treatment and rehabilitation of victims of ocular trauma, which causes about five percent of irreversible or permanent blindness,'' the statement said.

The Commission has observed that major contributors of eye injury are road accidents (34 per cent), sports (29 per cent) and occupations (21 per cent). However, the most reassuring fact is that eye injury is a preventable cause of blindness, it said.

The Commission, among several important recommendations, has asked them to identify the industries having high potential of ocular trauma and other industrial accidents and make it mandatory for owners of all such units employing a minimum of 50 workers to purchase a personal accident cover of a minimum of Rs 15 lakh for each worker engaged by them, it added.