National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI)
Public Health Ophthalmology: NEET PG Focus
1. Program Fundamentals
- Launch Year: 1976 (as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme).
- Objective: To reduce the prevalence of blindness from 1.4% (in 1976) to 0.3% by 2020.
- Renaming: Currently referred to as the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) to emphasize visual impairment alongside total blindness.
2. Key High-Yield NEET Data
| Definition / Standard | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Blindness Definition | Best corrected visual acuity < 3/60 in the better eye. |
| Visual Impairment | Best corrected visual acuity < 6/18 to 3/60. |
| Focus Areas | Cataract (major cause), Refractive Errors, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma, and Childhood Blindness. |
3. NEET High-Yield Pearls
- Leading Cause: Cataract remains the leading cause of avoidable blindness in India.
- Cataract Surgery Target: The program emphasizes high-quality surgery with IOL (Intraocular Lens) implantation.
- School Eye Screening: A major component targeting children for early detection and correction of refractive errors (e.g., using spectacles).
- Eye Donation: Promotion of “Fortnightly Eye Donation” awareness drives (August 25th – September 8th).