Srilanka, May 7 -- Dr. Asela Abeydeera is a Community Ophthalmologist and President of the Association of Community Ophthalmologists of Sri Lanka (SLACO) who has been a leading advocate for equitable eye care access for years. During a discussion with Daily Mirror, Dr. Abeydeera spoke about the cataract surgery backlog and the concerns regarding children's eye health, which are more prevalent in Sri Lanka when compared to visual impairments caused by glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases.

Cataract, the clouding of the eye's natural lens, is considered to be the leading cause of blindness in Sri Lanka despite being entirely treatable with a simple surgery. Sri Lanka now faces a backlog exceeding 1.5 million untreated cat...