80 per cent cases of blindness can be treated

Around 80 per cent cases of blindness in India, where 20 per cent of the world's blind population live, can be treated, an expert has said.
Lack of adequate eye health services was the major reason behind the incidence of blindness in the country, where cataract and refractive error are regarded as the major causes of the ailment, charity body Sightsavers (India) Director of Programme Operations Prasannakumar said here.
The National Programme for Control of Blindness, launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has set a target of reducing the prevalence of blindness to 0.3 per cent by the year 2020.

It was imperative to impart training and provide support to the irreversibly blind and other disabled people to move from the peripheries of society into the mainstream, Prasannakumar told a workshop recently.
Ratish Chandra Paul, secretary of Susrut Eye Foundation, said corporates could play an important role in creating an inclusive work environment and better livelihood opportunities for people with visual impairment and other disabilities.