National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI)

National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI)

Tamil Nadu State Blindness Control Society and the 38 District Blindness Control Societies (DBCS) together form a vertical programme under National Health Mission Tamil Nadu, for implementing the activities of National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual impairment programme in our state. The Mission Director National Health Mission Tamil Nadu and the District Collector/Chairman DBCS is the Head of the programme at the State and District level respectively. The Project Director, Tamil Nadu State Blindness Control Society and the District Programme Managers of the District Blindness Control Societies monitor the activities. As per the “Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness Survey” done by AIIMS in 2018, the prevalence of blindness in overall population is 0.33% for Tamil Nadu compared to the prevalence of 0.38% for India. The main causes of blindness are Operable cataract and its complication (74%), Diabetic Retinopathy (5%), Glaucoma (12%) and other causes (9%), including Trauma & injuries, Corneal Opacity, Congenital Cataract, “Retinopathy of Prematurity”, etc. In Tamil Nadu, all Government Medical College hospitals, 37 Government Head Quarters Hospitals, 29 Government Hospitals, 38 Government Tele V Care Centers and 92 NGO Eye hospitals on MoU with DBCS provide cashless eye care services to poor patients. There are 410 in-service eye surgeons, 402 PMOAs and 38 contractual optometrists providing eye care services in the State. The Tamil Nadu Eye Health Monitoring Web Portal has been established to support the effective implementation and monitoring of the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), and includes dedicated registries for eye donation and cataract screening across the State. Tamil Nadu is one among the best performing state under NPCBVI Programme.

The major interventions in order to eliminate avoidable blindness are: Comprehensive eye care services are being provided across the State through Government and NGO-supported institutions. During 2025–26, Government and NGO Eye Hospitals together performed a total of 2,77,973 eye surgeries. Eye donation services were also strengthened through Government and NGO Eye Banks, which collectively collected 10,973 eyeballs through voluntary eye donation. Children studying in Government and Government-Aided Schools from 6th to 12th standard being screened for refractive errors and other eye conditions. During 2025–26, a total of 2,82,961 free spectacles were provided to needy school children. In addition, free reading spectacles were provided to elderly individuals aged above 45 years to correct near-vision defects, benefiting 2,242 individuals through Government Eye Hospitals. The State’s network of 38 Tele V Care Centres screened 87,373 beneficiaries and identified 5,998 operable cataract cases, of whom 3,257 subsequently underwent cataract surgery at Government Eye Hospitals. Outreach eye care services were further strengthened through Mobile Ophthalmic Units, which conducted 1,738 eye camps and facilitated 21,252 cataract surgeries during the year. Capacity building of ophthalmic personnel was also prioritized, with 253 eye surgeons receiving in-service training under NPCBVI in various ophthalmic specialties at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO), AIIMS, and leading NGO Eye Hospitals. Optometrists were additionally provided hands-on training in Tele-Ophthalmology services to further enhance service delivery.