Eye Care – Urban Eye Health

India has witnessed a demographic transformation over the past 70 years with increase in life expectancy and improved survival rates. This has a significant impact on current and future eye care challenges as more than 80% of blindness and visual impairment is age related.

Cataract blindness load is among the highest in India. In India about 65% of cataract surgery is performed in private and voluntary sector and only 35% in the government sector. While in Indore city about 80% cataract surgery is performed in private voluntary sector. National program for Control of Blindness was launched in 1976 with the goal to reduce the prevalence of blindness from 1.4% (1974) to 0.3% by the year 2020 by developing eye care infrastructure, human resources, improving accessibility, quality of eye care services etc”.

At present  MPVHA is implementing following two eye care related program with the support of Sightsavers:

1. Urban Eye Health Program
2. Primary Eye Health Needs of Truckers in India (RAHI Project)

Urban Eye Health Program is being implemented with support of Sightsavers & Fullerton India Credit Company Ltd. since 2015.The Urban Eye Health Program aims to reach the urban poor, especially the marginalized underserved population of Indore city. It works in close collaboration with Urban Local Bodies, Department of Health, Administration, Private and Government Service Providers to ensure quality eye health service delivery through an effective and sustained urban health system.

The major components are – prevention, promotion, early detection & diagnosis, first line treatment, referrals for cataract surgeries, follow-up, counselling and spectacles distribution etc. The project is implemented at following  three levels:

• Community level –through outreach activities.
• Primary level – through well equipped mobile van and static vision center.
• Tertiary level – through a strong network and referral services for quality cataract surgery and care.

MPVHA’s Mobile Vision Centre (Van) popularly known “Nayan Mitra” reaches to urban slums of Indore City and does vision screening, refraction, referrals for cataract, counseling and spectacles distribution to the needy.

• Reaching to the poor women, unable to reach hospital for screening of their eyes.
• Poor and deprived getting spectacles on the spot after proper vision screening.
• Mobile van reaching to difficult and underserved pockets.
• Directly contributing in reduction of blindness in the district Indore and state of Madhya Pradesh.