Bansara Eye Care Centre to conduct a Free Eye Check-up for Shillong Taxi Drivers in collaboration with Shillong Traffic Police

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 22, 2019

Bansara Eye Care Centre is the oldest and premiere eye care service provider for the people of Meghalaya. Located in the capital city of Shillong, it aims to provide state-of-the-art ophthalmic services and care to all people in need of eye care.

It is the only 24 x 7 emergency eye care service provider in the state and is led by their renowned Founder and current Medical Director – Dr. Jennifer V. Basaiawmoit, who has been serving selflessly to provide quality eye care service to the people of Meghalaya for more than 40 years.

Being a hospital specialised in the field of eye care, Bansara Eye Care Centre’s mission (in a nutshell) is to eradicate avoidable blindness in the state of Meghalaya and they intend to make it a reality by collaborating with parties who share similar aspiration.

For years they have conducted several eye camps in many parts of Meghalaya with an objective to provide quality eye care service to people who are deprived of eye care.

However, the idea behind conducting the Free check-up for Shillong taxi drivers stems from a realisation that visual health is important in order to prevent avoidable road traffic accidents.

As Mr Anton Decruse Waanbah – Consultant Optometrist at Bansara Eye Care Centre) – expressed, “Drivers who are suffering from uncorrected refractive error or any eye-related problem keep themselves and others at risk while driving their vehicles which is the very reason why we thought of conducting a Free Eye Check-up for Shillong Taxi drivers so as to help the drivers and prevent future accidents”.

Due to lack of awareness about eye care, people are not aware of steps and measures to safeguard themselves from any eye-related problem. Hence, in a way, the Free Eye Check-up for commercial drivers will serve as a platform to not only provide eye care service but also to spread awareness on the importance of vision for drivers.

Bansara Eye Care Centre’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Aaron Basaiawmoit, states that, “There is currently no research paper that analyses and understands the visual status of commercial drivers in Shillong and one of our goals is also to create an evidence base for identifying the visual ailments affecting our drivers and also we would like to assess if there are any barriers to availing treatment at the right time. It is a known fact from existing literature that there is a correlation between road traffic accidents and poor vision. However, it is our endeavour to document this scientifically for our community”.

He further added that, “Not following traffic rules and simple issues like using high beam inappropriately and not using dipper, uncorrected refractive error and issues of glare can cause inconvenience to a driver’s vision which could lead to fatal or non-fatal accidents. Through the course of this service delivery program our goal, apart from conducting the free comprehensive eye screening camps, is to help increase awareness regarding the importance of eye health among the commercial taxi drivers who play a vital part in helping the public commute from one place to another”.

“We are grateful to the prompt support provided to us by the Shillong Traffic Police Department especially the sincere effort put in by Shri Bikram D. Marak (MPS, SP Traffic) and Shri W. M. Momin (MPS, Deputy SP Traffic) in helping us organize the upcoming program and we hope that collaborations like this will also continue in the future”, he concluded.

In the past, Bansara Eye Care Centre had also conducted similar eye camps catering to commercial drivers; recent ones being in association with Shillong Expressway Pvt Ltd, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Office of the Superintendent of Police (South West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya).

In general, the frequency of the eye check-up depends on the age and ailment, however, it is recommended that individual above the age of 40 should get their eyes tested at least once a year and in the case of drivers, it is recommended that they get their eyes tested once a year. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, thereby, it is only through pro-active health-seeking behaviour that will enable all citizens of our region to attain a healthy vision.

Written by Bansiewdorlang Mylliemngap | Bansara Eye Care Centre, Shillong