Orbis has issued a report in India, suggests that the country loses an estimated USD 118 billion annually in cumulative gross national income (GNI) due to childhood blindness. The report titled Cost-Benefit Analysis of Investing in Child Eye Health is based on 2020 estimates and reflects the economic losses incurred by India due to lost productive years as a result of childhood blindness spanning over a period of 35 years, and rising to USD 158 billion for 40 working years.
The report was launched at the 16thedition of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight – INDIA national conference. VISION 2020 is a national forum of concerned stakeholders – government, INGOs, NGOs, Corporate – working together for improving eye care through advocacy, sharing of knowledge and best practices. This report also shows that an increase of direct GNI loss due to blindness from INR 496 billion in 1997 to INR 768 billion in 2020.
According to this Hospitalization rate for eye ailments in India stood at 3.6 per 1,000 people in rural areas and 3.5 per 1,000 people in urban areas annually. According to Dr. Rishi Raj Borah, Country Director – India, Orbis, “Orbis endeavors to strengthen the foundation of the eye care ecosystem with research-based interventions to encourage investment in treatment and prevention of avoidable blindness.”
