New Delhi, Nearly 30 per cent of Delhi residents need spectacles either for near vision or distance vision problems, a review of refractive error services has revealed.
The review was conducted by the Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at the AIIMS, Delhi.
The findings from the WHO Refractive Error Situation Analysis Tool were submitted by the RP centre to the global health body recently.
Developed by the WHO, RESAT provides a comprehensive evaluation of refractive error services.
“Delhi faces a significant burden of uncorrected refractive errors. It is estimated that 29.5 per cent of the population, nearly 6o lakh people, are affected with refractive error or Presbyopia . Prevalence is highest among individuals aged 50 years and above,” Dr Praveen Vashist, Professor and Officer In-Charge of Community Ophthalmology at RP Centre, said in a statement.
Among school-going children, myopia remains the leading cause of refractive error, with a prevalence of 13.1 per cent in the national capital.
Effective refractive error coverage in 2024 was estimated at 59.8 per cent for distance vision and 47.1 per cent for near vision. Gender disparities persist, with women experiencing lower coverage compared to men, Dr Vashist said.
The assessment identified 249 eye care institutes across Delhi, of which 77.5 per cent are privately operated, 14.5 per cent are in the public sector, and 8.0 per cent are managed by NGOs.
A total of 1,085 ophthalmologists and 489 qualified optometrists/ophthalmic technicians are currently serving the population.
The ophthalmologist-to-population ratio stands at 1:18,430 in the national capital.
“There are sufficient ophthalmologists, but there is a shortage of ophthalmic technicians who are key manpower for refraction services,” Dr Vashisth said.
At the primary-care level, only 50 functional vision centres in the public sector indicate a significant service gap and opportunity for integrating primary eye care services, he said.
The RP centre, Dr Vashist said, recently held a camp in east Delhi’s Trilokpuri where ASHA workers were trained to identify people with visual impairment as well as with near vision problems.
In 15 days, 2,000 households were visited and 7,000 people examined by ASHA workers, according to the statement.
“Delhi demonstrates strong political and financial commitment toward refractive error services through initiatives under Ayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission. Service delivery follows a multi-tiered model, including outreach eye camps, community health workers , government clinics, hospitals, and tertiary care institutes,” Dr Vashist said.
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