Good Tidings For Indians: Over 92.9% blindness cases preventable

Hyderabad: On the World Sight Day on Thursday, there was a good news for Indians. New data from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) indicate that in India, cases of moderate and severe visual impairment have almost doubled from 40.6 million in 1990 to 79 million in 2020 and cases of near vision loss have more than doubled from 57.7 million to 137.6 million during the same time period.

In India, about 92.9% of cases of blindness amongst people over the age of 50 years can be avoided, according to the National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey1 2015-2019.

This stresses the need for regular check-ups and early detection of vision impairing conditions especially amongst the vulnerable like young school-going children, women, the elderly, those with diabetes and people with family history of glaucoma Suresh Pattathil, MD, Allergan India Pvt. Ltd, says, "Vision loss affects both the health and wellbeing of a person.

75% of vision loss can be cured or prevented. According to several ophthalmologists, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to patients skipping their regular eye check-up, this has led to a worsening of vision impairment in some cases. On this World Sight Day, we urge everyone to 'prevent the preventable' and protect their eyesight.

Consider an eye check-up as important as a body check-up, especially if you knowingly or unknowingly have a condition that could lead to vision loss."

India is home to over 77 million adults with diabetes. Uncontrolled and high blood sugar levels can over time damage the blood vessels in the eyes causing diabetic retinopathy which can ultimately lead to blindness 2,3.

Similarly, Glaucoma is the second 4,5 leading cause of irreversible blindness in India5 with at least 12 million people affected5 and nearly 1.2 million people blind from the disease5. Glaucoma being a silent disease with no major symptoms in the beginning, more than 90 percent of cases of glaucoma remain undiagnosed in the community.

EYE-OPENING FACTS

♦ Blindness in India affects 1 in approximately 300 people (0.36%) with 1 person in 50 above the age of 50 yrs (1.99%)

♦ Visual Impairment in India affects 1 in approximately 40 people (2.55%) with 1 person in 7 above the age of 50 yrs (13.76%)

♦ Top 5 Causes of Blindness that contribute to ~ 92.2% cases of blindness in age ≥ 50 Years are untreated cataract, non – trachomatous corneal opacity, cataract surgery complications, other posterior segment disorders, glaucoma 1 in 6 diabetic patients suffer from Retinopathy

♦ Approximately 18.6% of children suffer with severe visual impairment/ blindness due to Vitamin A Deficiency

♦ 20,000 new cases of visual impairment/blindness get added every year, 1.2 Lakh corneally blind people require cornea for transplantation to get back their vision, majority of them are young