PM Modi, has asked the country’s people to work toward a developed India by 2047. Under Vision 2047 India must have a high level of living.
On the 77th Independence Day this year, Prime Minister Modi challenged India’s 1.4 billion people to work for a developed India by 2047, turning the aspiration into a purpose. Under Vision 2047 India must have a high level of living, strong infrastructure, modern industry, great education, and robust healthcare, including vision care for all, especially in remote areas where 70% of the population lives.
EssilorLuxottica consulted worldwide health experts in 2019 to estimate that 550 million (55 Crore) Indians need intervention to attain their best-corrected vision. In 2020, the WHO estimated 270 million (27 Crore) uncorrected impaired vision sufferers had moderate to severe vision loss, including 9.2 million (92 Lakh) blind. India has the most uncorrected bad vision.
To improve rural vision, including the 112 Aspirational Districts, we need a dedicated effort. Reduced medical facility access needs care. India’s healthcare resources are 75% urban, leaving rural areas underserved. Healthcare facilities are often more than 100 miles away for many patients.
The shortage of skilled healthcare workers is another issue. The Optometry Council of India reports 42,000 primary eyecare practitioners (optometrists, ophthalmic assistants, and refractionists) and ophthalmologists who provide medical and surgical care.
We must also address vision problem and solution ignorance. Early discovery often helps treat the issue, allowing the population to thrive.
Digital India is laying the groundwork for technology investments to address these issues. Tele-refraction, a test to detect vision correction and prescription strength, helps distant populations get care from urban eye doctors. Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in New Delhi found no difference in best-corrected vision between real-time tele-refraction with remote optometrists and face-to-face exams. Face-to-face refraction was the gold standard in 85% of measurements.
An second Gujarat study published in Indian Journal of Ophthalmology found that 29% of 1000 patients diagnosed with uncorrected impaired vision using tele-refraction were able to acquire glasses at a local vision center, sparing them a 53km hospital visit. Both studies prove that tele-refraction can remove care barriers in remote areas.
Addressing poor vision at scale requires relationships outside service delivery. Government attempts to co-create solutions at all levels inspire our joint work. This is shown in the work to provide CPHC through 150,000+ Health and Wellness Centres. OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, in partnership with the Government of Odisha, placed its trained primary vision care providers into the HWC network to provide tele-refraction to over 100,000 people, resulting in 25,000 free eyeglasses and 15,000 referrals to higher care centers.Similar cooperation show that a solid national plan implemented locally can scale vision care.
Tele-refraction is a proven vision care method, so we could work with India’s 42,000 eye care practitioners to connect them to remote technicians, who we can train with Skill India, at more than 150,000 HWCs to solve this problem permanently.
People determine India’s future vision. All must see well to reach their potential in a modern nation. It will demand dedication and resilience, which our people always exhibit. As the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft moon landing showed, commitment may secure good vision for all. To quote Modi, that is how we “turn a dream into a resolute mission.”
Conclusion
Prime Minister Modi has urged India’s citizens to work toward a developed India by 2047, focusing on a high standard of living, strong infrastructure, advanced industries, quality education, robust healthcare, including vision care for all, especially in remote areas where 70% of the population lives. India has the world’s largest population with uncorrected poor vision, and addressing it requires a dedicated push to overcome challenges like limited access to medical facilities, a shortage of skilled healthcare professionals, and a lack of awareness of vision problems and solutions Digital India is laying the groundwork for technology investments like tele-refraction, which connects isolated villages. Real-time tele-refraction with distant optometrists and face-to-face exams yielded the same best-corrected vision at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in New Delhi. Effectively resolving impaired vision requires government partnerships to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) through 150,000+ Health and Wellness Centres.
