Help us in giving vision to cataract affected people

India is a signatory to the World Health Organization resolution on ‘Vision 2020: The right to sight’. Blindness due to cataract presents an enormous problem in India not only in terms of human morbidity but also in terms of economic loss and social burden. The WHO/NPCB (National Programme for Control of Blindness) survey has shown that there is a backlog of over 22 million blind eyes (12 million blind people) in India, and 80.1% of these are blindness is caused due to cataract. The annual incidence of cataract blindness is about 3.8 million.

Over the years of Deepalaya’s intervention we have closely worked with and identified the need for making an intervention in the field cataract surgeries especially for age group of 60+. But for Deepalaya's intervention these people will be devoid of health facilities.

The foremost thrust of Deepalaya’s effort is to build a community that is aware of health, especially eye care and conscious in catering to the ‘health’ needs of the community. For this purpose, Deepalaya has been putting the focus on establishing a trust relationship between the members of the Health team and community.This relationship is responsible for the patients’ returning for follow-ups and referring others in the community to avail the services offered by Deepalaya.

Deepalaya undertakes camps once in a month at Deepalaya Sanjay Colony, Okhla Phase-II, New Delhi. Apart from promoting and sensitizing the community of eye care, the team provides treatment to ailing eye patients and prepares the cases for cataract surgery with the help of Rajendra Prasad Eye Centre, AIIMS. The camp has a team of doctors with experience in ophthalmology, an optometrist, and a team of workers/volunteers to help in identifying the patients, record data, motivate and sensitize the patients. After identification, cataract surgeries are undertaken with the help of experienced panel of surgeons at AIIMS. Post operation services are provided until the patient retrieves the desired level of sight.

With the help of our partnership with AIIMS, people from underprivileged background are able to afford cataract surgeries without any cost.