Some Statistics:
China and India together accout for 49% of the world's total burden blindness and vision impairment, while their population represent of 37% of the global population. India has the distinction of being the home of the world's largest number of blind people. World Health Organiation (WHO) statistics revealed of the reveald that approximately 63 million people in India are visually impaired, and of these 8 million people are totally blind.
Many people in India do not have access to adequate eye care services, and many are unable to afford the cost of treatment and surgery for eye diseases. This has resulted in a high rate of avoidable blindness in the country, which has earned it the nickname of "blind capital of the world". The major causes of blindness include malnutrition, trachoma & cataract among others, and age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to vision loss and blindness.
Unfortunately, India is also home to the largest number of blind children. It is estimated that at least 200,000 to 300,000 children in India have severe visual impairment or blindness and approximately 15,000 are in schools for the blind. The leading cause of blindness in children is the deficiency of Vitamin A. Corneal scarring from measles, Retinopathy of prematurity, the use of harmful traditional eye remedies, ophthalmia neonatorum and rubella cataract are the major causes. Other significant causes are congenital abnormalities such as cataract, glaucoma and hereditary retinal dystrophies.
The major causes of blindness in children vary widely from region to region, being largely determined by socio-economic development and the availability of primary healthcare and eye-care services. In addition, the divide between the rich and the poor continues to increase, leaving a significant portion of the population without access to basic healthcare services — most of whom live either in rural India or urban slums. A majority of ophthalmologists in India live and practice in urban areas.
Efforts are underway to improve access to eye care services and reduce the incidence of blindness in India. This includes initiatives by the government, non-profit organizations, and private sector companies to increase awareness of eye health, provide free or low-cost eye care services, and train more eye care professionals. Despite these efforts, the high prevalence of avoidable blindness in India remains a major public health challenge.
