Now Reading: Rural India’s eye test gap: 74 million affected, 67% lack spectacles
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Rural India’s eye test gap: 74 million affected, 67% lack spectacles
Rural India’s eye test gap: 74 million affected, 67% lack spectacles
Over 74 million Indians have visual impairment, and over half of adults above 30 have refractive errors. Yet rural spectacle coverage is only 33%, meaning two out of three needing correction go…
The Story in Brief
Over 74 million Indians have visual impairment, and over half of adults above 30 have refractive errors. Yet rural spectacle coverage is only 33%, meaning two out of three needing correction go without. Swarajya reports India has one ophthalmologist per 65,000 people, with infrastructure concentrated in cities.
The article traces eye care history from ancient Sushruta to modern institutions. Recent policy shifts include the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act 2021, which formally recognised optometrists. Despite capacity for millions of cataract surgeries, routine eye exams remain hard to access in rural areas due to workforce shortages and poor primary health linkages.
The Indian Opinion
India's ability to perform 2.7 crore cataract surgeries shows surgical excellence, but the narrative of success hides a basic failure: rural India cannot get a simple eye test. The push for specialisation and private investment has left primary vision care behind. The 2021 Act recognising optometrists is welcome, but without incentives to work in villages, it will remain on paper. The real test is whether rural spectacle coverage crosses 50% in the next five years.
Source: swarajyamag.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
