Vision defect awareness only 49 per cent in India: study

EHM News Bureau - Mumbai

While the common belief is that the rural eye care awareness level in India is dismal, a study states that it is equally so in the urban school children. The study involving over 2 lakh students from schools in 40 cities shows that only 49 per cent of school children who have a defect and need vision correction are aware of it. The study was conducted by Bausch and Lomb along with the NGO Vision Improvement Experts’ Working Council (VIEW), an NGO.

The first leg of the current study which is being run in 550 schools to cover over 3 lakh students, shows a significant decrease from 49 to 52 per cent. The latest study shows that Mumbai (35 per cent) had the lowest per cent of school children unaware about their vision defects compared to the seven key metro cities of Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and cities in Punjab and Gujarat with 66, 50, 56, 60, 36 and 54 per cent respectively.

Every year, results of the Bausch and Lomb along with VIEW conduct school screening, which are compiled into a Youth Vision India Report Series. The report this time will be submitted to the central and state governments offering them data to base future eyecare strategies on.

Commenting on the latest findings, Mr Rajat Goel, national head, marketing, Bausch and Lomb, said, "Bausch and Lomb as a corporate has undertaken a number of eyecare initiatives over the past one year. The fact these initiatives are making an impact is clear from the stabilization of numbers from our data over the year. At the same time, the numbers continue to reflect a dangerously low state of visioncare awareness among our youths, as issue that must be tackled by individuals, corporate and the government alike."

Said Kunda Ganatra, president, VIEW, "We go to various schools training teachers how to conduct pre-screening tests for students. The teachers send students with defects for further referral to us. We then screen the eyes and tell them what needs to be done, gratis."

VIEW was constituted in the year 2002 as a body of 14 leading eyecare specialists coming together to work towards raising the levels of eyecare awareness across the country. The organization transformed into an NGO in the year 2002 and has conducted a number of campaigns across the country.