A nationwide survey conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has revealed striking inequalities in India’s eye care services.

Despite major progress in reducing avoidable blindness, the study found that a shortage of trained specialists and an uneven distribution of eye care facilities continue to leave millions without timely treatment.

The research, published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, was led by Prof Praveen Vashist and his team from the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS.

The reserch assessed human resources and infrastructure for ophthalmic services across India, drawing data from nearly eight thousand eye care institutions. 

The study aimed to evaluate how well India has met its Vision 2020 goals, which sought to eliminate avoidable blindness by building a strong eye care workforce and network of facilities.

The findings showed that India has an average of fifteen ophthalmologists and twenty-four optometrists per million people—far below what is needed to meet the population’s eye care demands. 

On average, each institute had only three ophthalmologists and two optometrists, highlighting a worrying shortfall of skilled professionals in several parts of the country.

Regional disparities were another major concern. Southern and western states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra were found to have better access to eye care, with more hospitals and specialists, while northern and northeastern states like Bihar, Assam, and Tripura continued to lag behind. 

The Delhi National Capital Region had the highest concentration of eye institutes, but several smaller and rural states reported very few.

The study also revealed that nearly seventy percent of India’s eye hospitals are privately run, compared to only about sixteen percent in the government sector and fourteen percent managed by non-governmental organizations. 

This heavy dependence on the private sector means that access to quality eye care often depends on a patient’s ability to afford it. 

Although most institutions—about eighty-seven percent—have operation theatres for performing surgeries, only six percent are equipped with eye banks for corneal tissue storage. 

Services for low vision and neuro-ophthalmology remain scarce, available in just a fraction of centers.

Cataract surgery remains the most commonly performed procedure in India, offered in more than ninety percent of hospitals. 

On average, an ophthalmologist performs about four hundred surgeries each year, or roughly seven to eight per week. 

However, experts noted that some states with an adequate number of ophthalmologists still reported lower surgical productivity, suggesting inefficiencies in human resource management and underutilization of skilled professionals.

Dr. Vashist emphasised that while India has expanded its eye care infrastructure impressively over the past two decades, much work remains to ensure equitable access across regions.

“We have built a wide network of eye hospitals, but there is still a major imbalance in how specialists and resources are distributed. Many states need better management and support to improve surgical output and service delivery,” he said.

The report stressed the urgent need for a stronger, better-distributed workforce to achieve the World Health Organization’s vision of a world free from avoidable blindness. 

Many states still face challenges such as limited training opportunities, poor retention of skilled doctors, and lack of resources in rural areas. The authors called for improved data collection and monitoring systems through the Health Management Information System (HMIS) to help plan and allocate resources more effectively.

According to the researchers, the way forward lies in expanding training programs, encouraging public-private partnerships, and ensuring that states with the weakest infrastructure receive targeted funding.

 Dr. Vashist noted that India has made remarkable progress in reducing blindness, but the next step is to focus on quality and equity.

 “Every Indian—whether living in Delhi or a remote village in Assam—deserves the same standard of eye care. That should be our collective goal,” he said.

The study, one of the most comprehensive of its kind in the Indian subcontinent, offers crucial insights for policymakers and healthcare planners.

 It calls for immediate attention to workforce gaps and urges the country to move toward a more inclusive, people-centered model of eye health that truly leaves no one behind.