NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has collaborated with a foundation working on vision correction which would provide spectacles to nearly 6 crore people suffering from vision ailments across the country, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials said that people including children from marginalised backgrounds, who suffer from vision problems and are unable to get their eyes checked or do not wear glasses, will be the main target.
Dr Praveen Vashist, professor of community ophthalmology at the RP Centre, AIIMS, said that about 2 crore people require glasses every year for a better vision. The professor said that the number of people in need of vision correction is high in states such as West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala.
“They suffer from vision problems. This includes many artisans, including school-going children, truck drivers, weavers, tea garden workers, etc,” the professor said.
“Many truck drivers do not have their eyes checked and do not wear glasses which can lead to major accidents. In such cases, those people also need glasses. For some reason or another, these people do not get his eyes checked. The delay deteriorates their eyesight which affects their work as well,” he added.
Vashist added that under the campaign, a target is set to provide spectacles to people who need them by 2030. Spectacles should be supplied to all the people who need them. “For those who work in different fields but do not get their eyes checked or wear glasses, our target is to provide glasses to about 5.5 crore people in the next 5 to 6 years,” he added.