BLINDNESS CONTROL PROGRAMME-INDIA

1. DR.MAHESWARI JAIKUMAR

2. BLINDNESS

3. CAUSES OF BLINDNESS
• Cataract (62.6%) Refractive Error (19.70%)
Corneal Blindness (0.90%), Glaucoma
(5.80%), Surgical Complication (1.20%)
Posterior Capsular Opacification (0.90%)
Posterior Segment Disorder (4.70%), Others
(4.19%)
• Estimated National Prevalence of
Childhood Blindness /Low Vision is 0.80
per thousand
•

4. • The WHO has defined blindness as
"visual acuity of less than 3/60 (Snellen)
or its equivalent", &
• nonspecialised personnel it is further
described as "inability to count fingers
in daylight at a distance of 3 meters".
India has 6 million blind out of 38
million blind present in the world

5. EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM
• 40-45 million people are blind
worldwide.
• 135 million people have low vision.
• 12 million people are blind in India.

6. • As per Survey in 2001-02,
prevalence of blindness is
estimated to be 1.1%.

7. • According to WHO estimation, by the year
2020 the number of people who are blind and
visually impaired will be twice the current
level unless aggressive and innovative
approaches are taken.
• India is committed to reduce this burden of
blindness by adopting the strategies advocated
for vision
2020 - “THE RIGHT TO SIGHT."

8. PREVALENCE RATE
• By 1974 the prevalence rate of blindness in
India was 1.38%.
• During 1986-89 the prevalence rate was
1.49%.
• During 1999-01 survey in 15 districts of the
country indicated that 8.5% of 50+
population are blind.

9. NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR
CONTROL OF BLINDNESS(NPCB)
• First country to launch it in 1976
• 80-90% of the blindness are
either curable or preventable.

10. • Cataract is the leading cause of
blindness
• as a public health problem,
blindness was included in the Prime
Minister's 20-point programme in
1982.

11. • National Programme for Control
of Blindness was launched in the
year 1976 as a 100% Centrally
Sponsored scheme with the goal
to reduce the prevalence of
blindness from 1.4% to 0.3%.

12. OBJECTIVE
• To bring down the prevalence rate
of cataract blindness from 1.49% to
0.8% by the year 2007.
• To provide high quality of eye care
to the affected population.

13. • To expand coverage of eye care to the
affected population.
• To expand coverage of eye care
services to the under-served areas.
• To reduce the backlog of blindness by
identifying and providing services to
the affected population.

14. STRATEGIES
• Decentralized implementation of the
scheme through District Blindness Control
Societies.
• Reduction in backlog of blind persons by
active screening of population above 50
years of age. Organizing screening eye
camps and transporting operable cases to
eye care facilities.

15. • To expand coverage of eye care to the
affected population.
• To expand coverage of eye care
services to the under-served areas.
• To reduce the backlog of blindness by
identifying and providing services to
the affected population.

16. • Involvement of voluntary Organization in
various eye care activities.
• Participation of community and Panchayat
Raj institutions in organizing services in
rural areas.
• Development of eye care services and
improvement in quality of eye care by
training of personnel, supply of high-tech
equipments, strengthening follow up and
monitoring services.

17. • Screening of school going children for
identification and treatment of refractive
errors with special attention in underserved
areas.
• Public awareness about prevention and
timely treatment of eye ailments.
• Specific focus on illiterate women in rural
areas. For this purpose there should be
convergence with various ongoing schemes
for development of women and children

18. To make eye care comprehensive,
besides cataract surgery other
interlobular surgical operations for
treatment of Glaucoma.
• Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy
may also be provided free of cost to
poor patients through Govt. and NGOs

19. ACTIVITIES
• Strengthening of eye care
infrastructures in the state.
• Improvement of quality of eye care
services by training of eye care
personnel.

20. • Provision of modern equipments
instruments and other commodity
assistance by GOI.
• Provision of vehicle.
• Increased no. of cataract surgery.

21. • Abolition of reach out camps.
• Introduction of cataract surgery
with IOL implantation.
• Involvement of NGOs.

22. • Training & capacity building of ASHAs to
orient towards blindness Control Prog &
create a group of field functionaries
who will initiate & create awareness on
BCP at the village level.

23. • School eye screening.
• Cataract surgery.
• IEC & EYE health education at all
levels to be undertaken

24. COMPONENTS
1.Cataract surgery.
2.Eye screening.
3.Eye donation. (Eye donation
fortnight -25 Aug to 8 Sep)
4.Voluntary organization.

25. 5.Vit “A’ prophylaxis. (Vit “A” syrup –
oral – for all pre school children)
6.IEC activities.(World Sight Day –II
Thursday of October)

26. INDICATORS
• Cataract operation in bi-lateral Blind
• Cataract surgery in Female.
• Cataract surgery in SC ST population.
• Cataract surgery in different facilities
• Cataract surgery in different age
groups.

27. INITIATIVES THAT WILL BE
INTEGRATED INTO THE BLINDNESS
CONTROL PROGRAMME
• Free surgery for cataract cases in
rural areas.
• Free transportation for patients of
un reached areas.

28. • Free medicine for all types of eye ailments.
• Free spectacles for post operative care.
• Free spectacles for poor school students.
• All backlog cataract cases would be treated.
• All schools would be covered for SES.

29. • All children would be given vit-A
supplementation and immunization
coverage.
• Modern and advanced treatment
would be available in all Medical
College Hospitals and DHHs

30. • Two Eye Banks to be established.
• Establishment of one RIO (Regional
Institute of Ophthalmology) in one
of the medical colleges.

31. ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP
• CENTRAL LEVEL:
• Ophthalmology Cell, Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare, New
Delhi.

32. REGIONAL LEVEL
• Regional Institute of Ophthalmology

33. STATE LEVEL
• State, Ophthalmic Cell and
Directorate of Health and Family
Welfare

34. DISTRICT LEVEL
• District Blindness control Societies
(DBCS). District Collector will held
the chairmanship.

35. MEGA EYE CAMPS IN
UNDERSERVED AREAS
• In the Golden Jubilee year of the
India's independence a special
programme for organizing mega eye
camps in underserved areas has
been undertaken

36. XITH FIVE-YEAR (2007-12)
• Sanctioned huge amount and
introduced new schemes on diabetic
retinopathy, glaucoma, childhood
blindness like congenital cataract,
squint, strabismus, besides the core
diseases like cataract, focal trachoma,
refractive errors and low vision.

37. • Integration of NPCB with the
National Rural Health mission
[NRHM] for ensuring optimal
utilization of the existing
infrastructure at various levels

38. VISION 2020
• Regional strategy by WHO: “Right to Sight”.
This is to reduce avoidable blindness by the
year 2020.
SAFE strategy for Trachoma:
• S- Surgery for in turned eyelids
• A- Antibiotic use.
• F- Facial cleanliness
• E- Environmental improvement.

40. ACTIVITIES
• Cataract Operation
• Involvement of NGOs
• Civil Works
• Training
• Commodity Assistant

42. • Information Education and
Communication
• Management Information
System
• Monitoring and Evaluation

43. GOALS & OBJECTIVES OF NPCB
IN THE XII PLAN
•
• To reduce the backlog of blindness
through identification and
treatment of blind at primary,
secondary and tertiary levels based
on assessment of the overall burden
of visual impairment in the country.

44. GOALS
• To reduce the prevalence of blindness
(1.49% in 1986-89) to less than 0.3%;
• To establish an infrastructure and
efficiency levels in the programme to
be able to cater new cases of blindness
each year to prevent future backlog.
•

45. OBJECTIVES
• To establish eye care facilities for
every 5 lakh population.
To develop human resources for
eye care services at all levels the
primary health centres, CHCs,
sub-district levels,

46. To improve quality of service
delivery and
To secure participation of civil
society and the private sector.

47. STRATEGIES
1.Strengthening service delivery,
2. Developing human resources for
eye care
3. Promoting outreach activities and
public awareness
4. Developing institutional capacity.

48. • Develop and strengthen the strategy of
NPCB for “Eye Health” and prevention
of visual impairment; through
provision of comprehensive eye care
services and quality service
delivery.
• Strengthening and up gradation of RIOs
to become centre of excellence in
various sub-specialities of
ophthalmology

49. • Strengthening the existing and
developing additional human
resources and infrastructure
facilities for providing high quality
comprehensive Eye Care in all
Districts of the country
• To enhance community awareness
on eye care and lay stress on
preventive measures

50. Increase and expand research for
prevention of blindness and visual
impairment
To secure participation of Voluntary
Organizations/Private Practitioners
in eye Care

51. CATARACT BLINDNESS
CONTROL PROJECT
• The Cataract Blindness Control
Project supported by the World
Bank became effective on
January 31, 1995, and closed on
June 30, 2002 after an extension
of one year.

52. • Project objectives were to support
India's efforts to upgrade the quality
of cataract surgery; to expand the
coverage of India's National
Program for the Control of Blindness
(NPCB) to underprivileged areas

53. Special attention to women, tribal, and
isolated areas; and to assist in the
reduction of cataract blindness in seven
states that accounted for more than 70
percent of India’s cases of cataract
blindness
• (Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil
Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh).

54. RESULTS
• A countrywide shift in surgical
technology resulted in a total of
15.3 million cataract operations
performed, without which the
affected persons would have
eventually gone blind.

55. RIGHT TO
SIGHT