Eye doctors called for more support for poor people in Viet Nam who are suffering visual impairments.

The call was made in Ha Noi yesterday to mark the World Sight Day.

According to statistics from the health sector, there are about two million blind people in Viet Nam.

Two-thirds of them have no money for treatment or simply don't know that their disease can be treated.

Director of the Viet Nam National Institute of Ophthalmology Do Nhu Hon said many people needed help to treat their eye impairments, despite the fact that treatment was often not very expensive.

The director of the Health Examination and Treatment Department under the Ministry of Health, Luong Ngoc Khue, said the increasing number of people with visual impairments had become an urgent social issue that needed to be solved.

"We need to improve public awareness on eye care and prevention of eye disease," said Khue.

The major causes of visual impairments in Viet Nam are cataract (accounting for 66 per cent of cases), glaucoma (6.5 per cent), refraction deformation and trachoma.

Viet Nam marked this year's World Sight Day, themed "VISION 2020: The right to Sight", with a range of activities across the country, including the provision of treatment and glasses to poor people, children and the elderly.

During this week, teams of eye doctors from the National Institute of Ophthalmology will travel to Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa and Quang Tri provinces to carry out free eye checks and consultancy for about 3,000 poor people. — VNS