Ocular Morbidity Prevalence: An Indian Experience

Every five seconds one person in our world goes blind--and a child goes blind every minute.These are alarming statistics. Yet,blindness is still perceived as a lower priority issue. Blindness has profound human and socio-economic consequences in all societies. The cost of education, rehabilitation and lost productivity due to blindness is a significant economic burden on families,communities and nations, particularly those in economically deprived areas of the world. Furthermore, in such settings, blindness is often associated with lower life expectancy. Thus, the prevention and cure of blindness can provide enormous savings and facilitate societal developments. People should be educated about causes of ocular morbidity, preventive measures, and appropriate treatment. Health education programmmes should target older age groups specifically and the population in general. The availability and accessibility of eye care services, particularly cataract surgery and refraction services should be increased. Affordable eye care services should be provided in addition to making these services available and accessible.