Eye Care Suffers Workforce Crunch

The eye care model of Nepal has been deemed a success. The Vitamin A supplementation programme and trachoma elimination are successful eye care programmes in the country. However, the number of blind people has almost been the same over the past 30 years. Furthermore, cataracts, uncorrected refractive errors, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy have emerged as the most common eye disorders. Women continue to carry two-thirds of blindness, those living beyond district headquarters, marginalised and low-income ones everywhere, and vulnerable population like children have limited access to eye care services.