NEW DELHI, Oct 9: A Rs 22,100 crore investment in eye healthcare measures, such as eye tests in schools and distribution of reading glasses, could unlock Rs 3.6 lakh crore for the Indian economy every year, according to a report released on World Sight Day.
These simple measures could also yield a return of Rs 16 for every rupee invested, according to the report titled “The Value of Vision”, prepared by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Seva Foundation, and Fred Hollows Foundation.
The report was presented at a high-level meeting during the United Nations General Assembly last month, ahead of the World Sight Day, observed on the second Thursday of October every year. The meeting was hosted by IAPB and the United Nations Friends of Vision Group.
According to the data presented in the report, a Rs 22,100-crore investment in eye healthcare delivery would generate annual gains of over Rs 3.6 lakh crore for India.
Out of these gains, a boost of Rs 2.27 lakh crore would come from improved occupational productivity, Rs 78,700 crore from increased employment, and Rs 40,800 crore from averted care giving. The gains in education would be equivalent to 9,60,000 extra years of schooling, the report said.
It laid out six priority areas for governments to focus on: early detection through vision screenings in the community, giving out reading glasses on the spot where needed, increasing capacity in the eye health workforce, boosting surgical productivity and teams, removing barriers to accessing eye health like cost, distance, and stigma, making cataract surgery even better with innovative training techniques, and wider use of biometry and stronger minimum post-operation care standards.
Approximately 70 crore people in India live with avoidable sight loss, the report said.
The personal and economic costs of sight loss are wide-ranging, including unemployment, lower educational attainment, reduced income, increased caregiving burden that predominantly falls to women, mental ill health, and increased risk of injury and illness, the report noted.
Elizabeth Kurian, chief functionary and trustee of Mission for Vision, India, said, “Nearly 1 billion people live daily with avoidable sight loss, especially in low- and middle-income countries, limiting their productivity and potential. Investing in vision is not just charity; it is smart economics. At Mission for Vision, we see every day how a pair of glasses or cataract surgery can restore livelihoods and lift families out of poverty.”
“If we are serious about sustaining growth and equity, eye health must move from the margins to the mainstream of national policy,” she added.
Peter Holland, CEO of IAPB, said sight loss is truly a universal problem that impacts every part of our lives.
Most sight loss can be prevented with simple and affordable interventions like expanding sight tests, providing glasses, and improving cataract surgery, he added.
“This World Sight Day, we urge everyone, from governments and businesses to schools and families, to make eye health a priority. The evidence is clear: by investing in vision, we invest in our future. Regular eye checks remain one of the simplest ways to safeguard sight, while broader systemic solutions are essential to ensure everyone, everywhere, has access to the care they need.” (PTI)
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