More than 85% of cases of vision loss in country preventable: Experts

New Delhi: India has the maximum number of visually challenged people in the world but 85 per cent of the cases of vision loss are preventable or treatable and there was a need to spread awareness about it, experts say.

On the occasion of World Sight Day, the experts noted that India is home to an estimated 34 million people living with blindness or moderate or severe visual impairment (MSVI).

Dr Ikeda Lal, senior cornea, cataract and refractory surgery specialist, at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Delhi said, "It is important to spread awareness around preventable blindness because more than 85 per cent of blindness is preventable if only people know how to address it".

The common reasons for blindness in India are cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration, uncorrected refractive error, diabetic retinopathy and corneal blindness.

Unfortunately, people often do not know that all these conditions can be treated and blindness can be reversed, Dr Lal said.

Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor, Dept. of Ophthalmology, AIIMS New Delhi, said, "Nearly 85 per cent of blindness in the world is avoidable which can either be preventable or treatable. There is need for public awareness so that a majority of people in the society who may become blind due to ignorance maintain their sight for life. Ocular causes of preventable blindness can be infections, vitamin A deficiency while causes of treatable blindness can be cataract, uncorrected refractive error, diabetic retinopathy".

According to the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey, cataract is the leading cause of blindness, accounting for 66.2 per cent of all cases of blindness in India.

Uncorrected refractive errors account for 18.6 per cent, and glaucoma for 6.7 per cent. Other causes of blindness and vision impairment include corneal opacities (0.9 per cent), childhood blindness (1.7 per cent), and diabetic retinopathy (3.3 per cent).

Dr Lal further said that cataract, which is the most significant cause of blindness in India, can be treated at any stage.

"Still, many people wait for their cataract to 'ripen' before undergoing surgery, thereby worsening the condition, and even in some cases, leading to blindness Similarly, glaucoma, caused due to damage to the optic nerve usually because of high intra-ocular pressure, could be treated with medication, laser treatment, or surgery, provided it is reported timely." Cataract caused due to clouding of the eye lenses in old age is responsible for 50-80 per cent of cases of blindness in the country.

In fact, data suggest that more than 90 per cent of cases of glaucoma remain undiagnosed in the community.

She further added that another very important reason for blindness in India is diabetic retinopathy, especially considering the high prevalence of diabetes in the country.

People should know that over a period of time, two-thirds of all Type 2 and almost all Type 1 diabetics are expected to develop diabetic retinopathy but a regular screening and proper treatment could prevent this, she said.

"Corneal blindness can also be treated by corneal transplant. Again, for this, we need to raise more awareness around the importance of eye donation," Dr Lal stated.