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Rural Eye Health
Blindness imposes a heavy
social burden, both in human and economic terms. The overall
global prevalence of blindness is 0.7 percent. The data
available on the incidence of blindness is unreliable but
it is estimated that this number is increasing worldwide
at the rate of 1 - 2 million per year. Two-thirds or more
of all blindness is considered avoidable, because the causes
are either treatable or preventable.
In India blindness is a major
public health problem. It is estimated that there are 18
million people blind in India, which constitutes one-fourth
of the total number of the blind worldwide.
The greatest prevalence of
blindness in India is in the rural districts: firstly, because
the majority of our population lives in rural areas and,
secondly, because these rural areas have the least access
to eye care services in particular and health care services
in general.
Control of blindness in India
has neither been effective nor efficient. The focus has
primarily been on cataract surgery in make-shift environments,
particularly in rural India. The quality of eye care available
to the people in rural India is sub-optimal because of the
lack of infrastructure and of human resources, i.e., capable
and well-trained personnel for providing quality eye care.
A public health strategy
that addresses the issues of availability, accessibility,
and affordability of eye care services is needed to address
current problems and to meet long-term plans for reducing
blindness. In order to develop good quality, permanent,
and affordable eye care for rural India, efforts should
be made to plan new facilities and improve the existing
ones.
To this end, the International
Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care (ICARE) was established
at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. ICARE
is working to develop a comprehensive approach to eye health
in India by providing and coordinating training efforts
for the development and management of eye care facilities
in underserved areas.
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