Expert Physician Details India's Eye Care Deficit and Its Impact on 2030 Blindness Elimination Target
Loading more articles...
India's Eye-Care Crisis: Shortage of Specialists Threatens 2030 Blindness Goal
F
Firstpost•14-03-2026, 16:43
India's Eye-Care Crisis: Shortage of Specialists Threatens 2030 Blindness Goal
•India faces a severe shortage of eye-care specialists, with only one ophthalmologist for every 60,000-65,000 people, jeopardizing the 2030 goal to eliminate avoidable blindness.
•The World Health Organisation highlights India's significant burden of preventable visual impairment, including refractive errors and cataracts.
•Union Budget 2026-27 recognized optometry as a national priority, allocating ₹1,000 crore for training allied health professionals to strengthen primary eye care.
•Optometrists can bridge the gap by handling routine examinations, detecting early diseases, managing common conditions like dry eyes and refractive errors, and referring complex cases.
•Strengthening the optometry workforce, improving training, infrastructure, and leveraging telemedicine are crucial steps, especially for rural and underserved areas.
