Ranchi: Health minister Irfan Ansari formally inaugurated the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO) at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) here on Friday, in a bid to strengthen specialised eye care services.Ansari said, “The opening of the eye centre is a decisive step towards providing world-class, modern and affordable eye care services to lakhs of people in the state.”Ansari said that patients from Jharkhand were compelled to travel to Chennai, Vellore and other states as the state lacked an advanced eye treatment centre.“The travel caused the patients and their families lots of financial and emotional hardship. But with the inauguration of the RIO, that hardship will end and patients would get treatment for all major eye ailments, including cataract, corneal disorders, retinal diseases and glaucoma at Rims,” he added.“The eye hospital, which remained nonfunctional for nearly 14 years, has been revived and equipped with modern facilities. The institute will now offer advanced treatment for a wide range of complex eye conditions and will emerge as a major centre for eye care not only in Jharkhand but across eastern India,” he said.More than 200 patients are availing consultation and treatment at the RIO outpatient department daily since it opened in Jan for the public.Ansari said that with state-of-the-art equipment, specialist doctors and trained healthcare professionals, the RIO would not only emerge as a centre of excellence for eye care but also develop into a nationally recognised institute for ophthalmic education and research.