Govt aims to clear backlog of about 1.02 crore cataract surgeries from June 1

New Delhi: The Central government plans to conduct a special campaign during the next three years to clear the backlog in surgeries for cataract and severe visual impairment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said sources on Monday.

The campaign will start from June 1, 2022, and the surgeries to be performed in three years will cost Rs 2.70 crore.
The goal to start the campaign is to reduce the prevalence of blindness to 0.25 per cent by 2025 from 1.4 per cent in 2010, official sources told ANI.

"The objectives and aim behind the program is identification and treatment of blindness, develop comprehensive eye care facilities at each level like PHCs, CHCs, district hospitals, Medical Colleges and Regional Institutes of Ophthalmology, develop human resources for providing Eye Care Services, to improve quality of service delivery and enhance community awareness on eye care," they said.

The number of surgeries required to clear a backlog of Blindness due to cataract is 49 lakhs and the number of surgeries required to clear a backlog of severe visual impairment due to cataracts is 53.63 lakhs.

However, the number of surgeries required to clear the backlog from blindness and severe visual impairment is approximately 1.03 crores.
"The total number of cataract surgeries being performed under National program for control of blindness and visual impairment, in 2017-2018 is 64 lakhs; in 2018-2019 is 66 lakhs and 2019-2021 is 64 lakhs," as per the official data

The number of cataract surgeries in 2020-2021 reduced to 36 lakhs during COVID and 57 lakhs in 2021-2022. (ANI)