Noor Dubai, a charity drive aiming to deliver eye health services to over one million people worldwide said it has extended its therapeutic programme on visual impairment.

The charity drive also marked the World Sight Day, held on the second Thursday of October every year focusing on mitigating global blindness, raising public awareness about the prevention and treatment of loss of vision.

Launched by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Noor Dubai features therapeutic, preventive, and education programmes.

The three components collectively seek to treat and prevent blindness and visual impairment in the UAE and developing countries on an international scale.

Noor Dubai has so far provided treatment to more than 500 patients by leading local and international ophthalmologists during its first month.
 
Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director general of Dubai Health Authority, said: "Today, as people across the globe celebrate World Sight Day, we are proud to announce Noor Dubai's triumph in providing effective eye treatment to hundreds around the world. Noor Dubai has demonstrated, once again, Dubai's continued commitment to helping our brothers and sisters in need, cutting across national barriers."

The therapeutic programme seeks to surgically treat patients in Dubai for multiple conditions that cause blindness and poor vision.

To date, Noor Dubai has reached out to people in a number of countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali, Sri Lanka, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine as well as the UAE.

Dr Manal Taryam, head of the Noor Dubai Medical Team, said: "Within a short span since its launch, the therapeutic programme has managed to impact the lives of several hundred while scores of others have requested assistance. In light of the enormous response, we are delighted to announce an extension of this programme to maximise the reach of treatment among the global community."
 
Noor Dubai's educational component, also launched last month, seeks to ensure that health professionals in the UAE and across the world are equipped with the latest knowledge of global best practices in combating preventable blindness and visual impairment.

Run in tandem with the therapeutic programme, the educational component has significantly helped visiting health professionals and provided a sustainable system to ensuring that patients in developing countries gain access to international medical expertise even in their home countries.
 
Dr Afaq Al Mashharri, Head of the Noor Dubai Administrative Committee, confirmed that details regarding the final component, an equally ambitious prevention programme, will soon be announced.
 
Al Mashharri said: "As we mark World Sight Day with Noor Dubai’s remarkable achievements, we are pleased to point that our initiative will continue to touch the lives of many across the globe over the next year.

"Guided by the vision of Dubai's leadership and inspired by our success in the past month, we believe our target of delivering visual health services to one million people across the world will be exceeded within the next year."
 
Noor Dubai was launched on September 3 with a vision of a world free from preventable forms of blindness.

Dubai Health Authority is mandated with the responsibility of implementing the Noor Dubai agenda in collaboration with Orbis International as well as Lions Clubs International. - TradeArabia News Service