Estimates of blindness reduced by 47 per cent in 12 years: Govt survey

In the past 12 years, the estimated prevalence of blindness has decreased by approximately 47 per cent, as per a government survey. The survey further revealed that untreated cataract continues to be leading cause of blindness.

As per the National Blindness and Visuality Impaired Survey (2019) which was released by the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, the estimated blindness has reduced to 0.36 per cent as compared to 1 per cent in 2006-2007. As per the survey, the visual impairment has decreased by 51.9% to 2.55% in comparison with 2010.

According to the survey, the maximum prevalence of blindness was noted in the age group of above 80 (11.6 per cent), followed by 70-79 age group (4.1 per cent), 60-69 age group (1.6 per cent) and 50-59 age group (0.5 per cent). It was also observed that 92 per cent cases of blindness and 96.2 per cent cases of visual impairment happened due to the avoidable reasons. 

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, "People suffering from blindness have reduced from 12 million in 2006-07 to 4.8 million in 2019. This indicates that the country is close to achieving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of reducing it to 0.3 per cent of the total population by 2020".

He further added, "This is 47 per cent decline and the findings of the current survey are for blindness as defined to be vision of less than 3/60 in the better eye. The WHO had set the goal of lowering the prevalence of visual impairment by 25 per cent by 2019 as compared to 2010 levels".

In 2017, India changed its old definition of blindness, by bringing it in line with the criteria of WHO. As per the new definition, which was adopted in 1976, a person who is unable to count fingers from a distance of three metres would be considered "blind" as against the earlier stipulation of six metres.

As per the survey, untreated cataract was the cause of blindness in 66.2 per cent cases. The survey also reported a higher prevalence of blindness in illiterates i.e. 3.23 per cent as compared to 0.43 per cent among the people who are 10th pass and above. Report further notified that in rural areas, blindness was more prevalent i.e. 2.14 per cent as compared to 1.80 per cent in urban population.

Promila Gupta, Principal Consultant, National Programme for Control of Blindness, Ministry of Health said, "The results of both surveys, in 0-49 age group and in equal and above 50 years population, were used to estimate the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in India across all age group,"

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.