The National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) aims to reduce blindness prevalence in India. Key points: - Cataract is the leading cause of blindness, responsible for 66.2% of cases. - NPCBVI provides eye care services across India through district hospitals, PHCs, and NGOs. It focuses on cataract surgeries, treating other diseases, and distributing free glasses. - The program faces challenges of underutilization of funds, delays in NGO payments, and occasional poor surgical quality despite guidelines. Establishing dedicated eye facilities and training is encouraged.

1. National Programme for Control of Blindness &
Visual Impairment
NPCBVI

2. Burden of Blindness
• Prevalence of Blindness - 1.1%. (Blindness Survey 2001-02).
• Prevalence of Blindness – 1.0%. (Blindness Survey 2006-07).
• Prevalence of Blindness – 0.36% (Blindness Survey 2015-19).
• WHO Goal – reduction of prevalence of avoidable blindness to 0.3% by 2020.
• NHP target – to reduce the prevalence of blindness to 0.25 by 2025 and disease
burden by one third from current levels.
Causes of Blindness (as per Blindness
Survey 2015-19)
• Cataract (66.2%)
• Corneal opacity (7.4%)
• Cataract surgical complications (7.2%)
• Posterior segment disorders excluding DR and ARMD (5.9%)
• Glaucoma (5.5%)

3.  National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB) launched in
1976.
All district hospitals and PHCs are covered under the programme
 Nomenclature of the programme was changed from National
Program for Control of Blindness to National Program for Control
of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) in 2017.
Change in definition of blindness in line with the definition of
WHO: “Visual acuity of less than 3/60, or a corresponding visual
field loss to less than 10°, in the better eye with the best possible
correction”.
National Programme for Control of
Blindness and Visual Impairment

4. Goals & Objectives
Goal
 To reduce the prevalence of blindness to 0.3% by the year 2020
Objectives
 Reduce the backlog of blindness through identification and treatment of
blind.
 Develop comprehensive eye-care facilities at each level i.e. PHCs, CHCs,
Dist. Hospitals, Medical Colleges and Regional Institutes of
Ophthalmology.
 Develop human resources for providing Eye Care Services.
 Improve quality of service delivery.
 Secure participation of Voluntary Organizations/Private Practitioners in
eye care services.
 Enhance community awareness on eye care.

5. 4/2/2023
Programme Strategies
• Community based primary health care approach including screening eye
camps services by district hospitals and NGOs
• Preventive and promotive eye care services at PHC/CHC/ HWCs
including IEC activities for promotion and preventive eye care and
eye donation.
• Dedicated services for cataract surgery, refractive error and distribution
of free Spectacles to school children and elderly patients at district and
NGO hospitals along with screening for other eye diseases.
• Strengthening of Regional Institutes of Ophthalmology to provide
dedicated tertiary level eye care facilities and in-service training of health
personnel at all levels.
• Information, Education & Communication (IEC) using mass media, folk
media and other communication channels to reach out to the target
community.
• Continuous monitoring and independent evaluation of the Programme and
conducting periodic national surveys and research .

6. Packages of services
Services at various levels
1 Free Cataract Surgery District/Sub District Hospital
NGO eye hospitals/ Pvt. Practitioners
2 Refraction and Distribution of Free spectacles to School
children
District Hospitals
PHC/Vision Centre
3 Refraction and Distribution of Free spectacles to elderly District Hospitals, Govt. Schools
PHCs/Vision Centres
4 Diagnosis and Treatment of other eye diseases (DR, glaucoma,
childhood blindness. Keratoplasty and Vitreoretinal surgery)
District Hospital
NGO eye hospitals/Pvt. Practitioners
5 Collection of donated eyes Eye Banks and Eye Donation Centres
6 IEC District Hospitals, CHCs,PHCs
7 Conducting outreach eye camps District Hospitals
NGO Eye Hospitals
8 Provision of super specialty and referral eye care services for
diabetic retinopathy, Glaucoma, childhood blindness,
retinopathy of prematurity and Keratoplasty (corneal
transplantation) etc.
Regional Institutes of Ophthalmology,
selected NGO hospitals

7. Package of Financial Assistance to States
Component Revised norms during (2017-2020)
Recurring Grant-in-aid
Cataract operations in Government Sector and
NGO/private sector.
@Rs.2000/- per case to NGOs & Pvt. Practitioners.
@ Rs.1000/- per case to District Hospitals.
Vitreoretinal Surgery
Keratoplasty
(Reimbursement to NGOs only)
Diabetic Retinopathy Medical treatment@ Rs.2000/-
Childhood Blindness@ Rs.2000/-
Glaucoma @ Rs.2000/-
Keratoplasty @Rs.7,500/-
Vitreoretinal Surgery @Rs.10,000/-
Free Spectacles to school children Rs.350/- per spectacles
Free spectacles to elderly population Rs.350/- per spectacles
Collection of donated eyes Rs.2000/- per pair of eye
Grant-in-aid for IEC in State/district State level IEC @Rs.10 lakh for small States and Rs.20 lakh for big
States
Management of State Health Society
(for staff salaries, mobility support and review
meetings)
10 lakh for small States and Rs.20 lakh for big States

8. Component Revised norms during (2017-2020)
Non Recurring Grant-in-Aid
Grant-in-aid for District/Sub-District Hospital/CHSs
and PHCs for procurement of eye equipments
Based on state PIP proposals
Grant-in-aid for construction of Eye OT and Wards
at District Hospitals
Upto Rs.100 lakh per District as per State PIP proposals
Grant-in-aid for Mobile Ophthalmic Unit Upto Rs.30 lakh
Grant-in-aid for Eye Banks (in public sector only) upto Rs.40 lakh per unit as per approved list of equipment by
NPCB&VI
Grant-in-aid for Eye Donation Centres (in public
sector only)
Rs.1 lakh per unit
Package of Financial Assistance to States

9. Major issues/challenges
• Low utilization of allotted funds by most of the States. Delay in
release of funds from State Treasury/State NHM to State
Programme Officers
• Delay in NGO payments (for performing cataract surgeries and
treatment of other eye diseases) by District Programme Officers
• Quality issue: Sporadic reports of episodes of surgical
complications, despite circulation of prescribed eye surgery
guidelines. Catarct surgical complications account for 7.2% of
blindness
• To provide quality eye care services and prevent mishaps,
establishment of dedicated eye OTs and ward in all district/sub-
district hospitals. The district Ophthalmologists are encouraged to
undergo refresher training at designated institutes.

10. Thank You