India national survey finds gaps in eye health workforce and infrastructure
In a national survey of 7,901 secondary and tertiary level hospitals, Vashist et al. assessed the availability of eye health workforce and infrastructure resources across India and evaluated progress towards Vision 2020 goals.
Key Findings:
- The online survey revealed that 20,944 ophthalmologists and 17,849 optometrists were providing ophthalmic services across 28 states and 9 union territories in India.
- India had approximately 15 ophthalmologists and 74 eye beds per million population, exceeding the average for low-income countries (4 ophthalmologists per million population) but remaining below levels reported in high-income countries (76 ophthalmologists per million population).
- The study found substantial geographical inequities in the distribution of ophthalmologists, ranging from 2 per million population in Ladakh to 127 per million in Puducherry, highlighting disparities in access to care.
- India’s ophthalmology workforce remains below the estimated 25,000 ophthalmologists needed to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2030, highlighting the need for further workforce expansion and more equitable distribution across states.
Reference: Vashist P, Manna S, Gupta V, et al. Human resources and infrastructure for ophthalmic services in India: Results from the National Survey. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2025;73(11):1679-1686. doi:10.4103/IJO.IJO_2816_24
