The primary eyecare model developed in India by Vision CRC Core Partner LVPEI is delivering effective eyecare to rural areas.
A total of 6 new primary care Vision Centres (VC) were inaugurated during the quarter April – June 2008. The five attached to the secondary care Sudhakar and Sreekanth Ravi Eye Centre, Markapuram, are located at: Giddalur, Thripuranthakam, Yerragondapalem, Dornala, and Bestavaripeta. With this, LVPEI has completed the establishment of 19 out of 30 Vision Centres in Prakasam district. The Lavelle Fund for the Blind, Inc., USA, supported the VCs attached to Markapuram. The sixth Vision Centre at Medarpet village is attached to the secondary care Seshanna Chennawar Eye Centre, Adilabad. This VC completes the 8 Vision Centres project in Adilabad. The Medarpet VC is the 49th Vision Centre to be set up by LVPEI.
Vision Centres were developed when the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India realised that better eye health could be achieved through the establishment of more accessible services in the community.
Treatment of later stages of eye disease is much more expensive than prevention or early intervention. Furthermore, blindness in India and developing countries is most commonly found in rural and often remote areas.
The Vision Centre (VC) model, launched In India in 2002, attempts to reduce blindness by providing high quality and sustainable eye care in rural and underserved urban areas. Vision Centres (VC) form the base of the pyramid and have a target population of 50,000. Each VC is staffed by a Vision Technician, who is recruited from the local community and trained by LVPEI for one year. The VC is fully equipped for performing ophthalmic evaluation, refraction, dispensing spectacles and diagnosing potentially blinding diseases. The centre offers screening services and is linked with community organisations. Each VC is attached to a secondary level care eye centre (Service Centre), which has links with 10 VCs in a radius of 60 km, thus catering to 0.5 million people.
Thus far the LVPEI Vision Centres have screened a total of 20,264, prescribed glasses for 7,920; dispensed glasses for 6,317; and refereed 5,452 to Service Centres.
The comprehensive eyecare model developed by LVPEI has been adopted by the VISION 2020: Right to Sight program of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
