President Message

OSP is one of the oldest and most active societies among the Medical discipline in Pakistan. It was founded in 1957 in the historical city of Lahore with the mission to improve the professional skills of its members, to encourage and conduct meaningful Research, to provide Eye care services to the public and to promote professional Ethics.

To improve the professional skills of its members, the society regularly holds an annual congress which rotates among the provincial capitals and federal unit, Islamabad. Similarly individual branches also hold their regional meetings. The society also facilitates its members to attend regional and international conferences and other educational activities in foreign countries. OSP gives great importance to research. It has established Research and Education Foundation. Funds have been generated by the society members and we are expecting Pharmaceutical industries and others to help us in this regard.

Society publishes its own quarterly Journal, Pakistan Journal of Ophthalmology (PJO) which is recognized by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and also by the Higher Education Council (HEC), Islamabad. Members of the Society also regularly publish research articles in other national and international Journals.

Ophthalmology is advancing very rapidly and now subspecialties have been established like Vitreo Retina, Glaucoma, Paediatric and Oculoplastic. Pakistan is not left behind and these subspecialties are also established and have formed their associations under the umbrella of Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan. Vitreo Retina subspecialty is very well established and Fellowship (FCPS) in Vitreo Retina is now awarded by the College of Physicians and Surgeon Pakistan.

A recent survey conducted in Pakistan provides the reliable estimates of causes of blindness and visual impairment in Pakistan. CATARACT still accounts for more than half of the blindness in Pakistan.

Based on the statistics presented, the prevalence of blindness among individuals of all ages in Pakistan is estimated to be 0.9% which has been reduced from more than 3% in the past. It is big achievement by any standard. The number of blind individuals of all ages in Pakistan in 2003 was estimated to be 1.25 million. Using population projections for the whole of Pakistan, the number of blind people in Pakistan will increase to approximately 2.4 million by the year 2020, assuming that the prevalence of blindness remains unchanged.

The Right to Sight WHO slogan is to raise the public awareness of avoidable blindness and visual impairment as an important public health issue. Thus the policy makers have to develop, implement and fund National Programme of prevention of blindness.