Believe it or not, but at least 10 crore Indians, a majority of whom are based in the rural parts of the country, need a pair of spectacles, but unfortunately don’t have access to them, or are not aware that they need glasses. According to what the experts, people in India don’t know or are not aware that they need glasses. It is the IVI’s estimation, that seven percent of children in India need glasses. In terms of education, 80 percent is based on visual learning, and therefore, it is essential that children are enabled and abled to see properly. It is our observation that a substantial majority of children, especially in the rural areas, can’t see the black board. Pitching fervently for the need to establish an Optometry Council in India, Daniel said the need of the hour was to generate awareness about going in for appropriate and timely vision care; educate the masses on the subject and train young people to take up optometry as a skilled profession as it was a well-paying one. He informed that the IVI has done 140,000 visual care screenings till date and found that a majority of those appearing for them suffer from myopic vision. There is a reasonable representation to suggest and understand that it (poor vision) is a major problem. It is well known that one will need glasses. Some experts are of the view that people provided with glasses in a timely manner can earn better, increase their productivity and that of the institutions they work for or run on their own. The estimate was that poor vision has resulted in a production loss of approximately 26 billion dollars. India suffers from a lack of trained human resources and requires 125,000 optometrists. The country currently has only 45,000. When asked where these 45,000 optometrists were based, some other experts say that they can be mostly found in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Indian cities, whereas Tier 3 and Tier 4 localities don’t get the required attention. People have to generate awareness, establish testing procedures and mechanisms to provide the underprivileged sections of Indian society with appropriate and timely vision care, whether it is in the urban areas, or in rural environs. An expert said that there is a need to introduce and promote short-term courses of one, two or four years for vision technicians and added that the optical market in India is presently worth two billion dollars in terms of revenue generation, and this can easily be doubled through partnerships and campaigns for greater outreach. Emphasizing that primary eye care is an urgent requirement it was said that people in India need para-professionals in eye care; primary eye care providers. In India, this system is non-existent when compared to similar sectors in other parts of the world, which are much more and better organized. It was suggested that if vision care is taken care of, the benefits would be significant. For instance one will be able to see; avoid accidents; get out of the poverty circle and get better educated. The World Congress of Optometry 2017 held in Hyderabad in September this year saw the participation of over 1,250 eye care professionals from across the globe. The conference celebrated India’s major strides in optometry, exchanged notes on best practice approaches and latest advances in this field.
Need of the Hour is Vision Care in India
