By Dhel Nazario
Almost 7,000 Makati City residents have so far availed of free eye treatment at the Ospital ng Makati's (OsMak) Eye Center, barely six months after its inauguration.
According to Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, the center was able to assist a total of 6,672 patients since it was opened last July 21, 2017.
“I am proud that the OsMak Eye Center has ably fulfilled its mandate of helping Yellow Card members get the best eye care without having to spend a single peso. More importantly, they don’t have to be referred to other hospitals because they can now get the treatment they need right here in Makati,” Binay said in a statement.
The state of the art facility, located at the 6th floor of OsMak, averaged 1,000 patients per month.
Binay mentioned that the center was opened as part of the city’s public health program expansion, particularly for the benefit of more than 200,000 members of the Makati Health Plus Program, better known as the Yellow Card.
She noted that in the past, the Department of Ophthalmology used to refer patients who needed laser procedures as well as visual field tests to other hospitals because they did not have the necessary equipment. The opening of the Eye Center, however, has allowed OsMak’s ophthalmologists to treat more patients in-house.
The facility can accommodate about 100 patients per day covering a wide range of services including the most common eye problems common among adults like cataracts, dysfunctional tear syndrome/dry eye disease, and allergic conjunctivitis.
Minors with error of refraction, conjunctivitis, astigmatism and other eye ailments and conditions are likewise treated at the Eye Center.
Apart from these problems, the Eye Center is also equipped to address: General Ophthalmology; Emergency Ophthalmic Services; Treatment of Eye Infections; Treatment of Diseases of the Cornea; Treatment of Eye Trauma; Cataract in the Young; Retinal Diseases; Laser Treatment of Retinal Diseases; Glaucoma and Laser Surgery; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Eye; Pediatric Eye Surgery and Eye Alignment.