Mumbai doctors bag Guinness record for diabetic eye screening

The eye camp at Dharavi on Feb 2

Well-known ophthalmologist, Dr S Natarajan, president All India Ophthalmologist Society, and his colleague, Dr Radhika K, have been honoured by Guinness World Records for 'Most diabetic eye screenings in 8 hours'. The free eye screening of over 600 diabetic residents was conducted at Dharavi.

The official Guinness website states: "The most diabetic eye screenings in eight hours is 649, and was achieved at an event organised by Dr S Natarajan, Dr Radhika K and Aditya Jyot Foundation for Twinkling Little Eyes (all India), in Dharavi, India, on 2 February 2019."

Every year, hundreds of diabetics lose their sight to diabetic retinopathy, which affects blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. It is the most common cause of vision loss among diabetics. Considering this, Dr Natarajan decided to screen residents from Dharavi for early diagnosis.

This screening was done with the help of Tata trust and BMC. "In India, there is no specific eye screening for diabetics. Through this, we want to raise awareness about the affect of diabetes on sight," said Dr Radhika K.

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