Pune: Ophthalmology Society to step up stop-blindness campaign

Training people — with a minimum qualification of Class VIII — on how to use a hand-held camera for mass screening for retinal diseases and glaucoma, the campaign will be launched across Pune, Nashik, Solapur, Miraj and Sangli.

The campaign will be launched across Pune, Nashik, Solapur, Miraj and Sangli. Express

After a pilot project in Mumbai’s civic dispensaries that screened diabetes for retinal diseases, doctor S Natarajan, president-elect of the All India Ophthalmology Society will now step up the Stop Blindness campaign. Training people — with a minimum qualification of Class VIII — on how to use a hand-held camera for mass screening for retinal diseases and glaucoma, the campaign will be launched across Pune, Nashik, Solapur, Miraj and Sangli.

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that can lead to decreased eyesight or even blindness. “There has been a rise in these cases,” says Natarajan, who also coordinated the first-of-its-kind diabetic retinopathy urban Mumbai slum study under which an ongoing screening is underway to detect and treat such cases.

In 2010, WHO had stated that India has 53 million visually-impaired people, among whom 6.8 million are blind and 46.2 million are with low vision. Non-communicable diseases (NCD) , like Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and ensuing diabetic retinopathy (DR) are becoming leading causes of visual impairment in the working age group in the developing world.

“In our study that was published in the Ophthalmic Epidemiology Journal in 2017, we surveyed 16,201 households in 23 wards in Mumbai for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. The population of 69,079 in these households was surveyed and fasting blood sugar tests were conducted. We found 2,066 cases of diabetes and 324 cases of diabetic retinopathy. Follow up visits have started,” Natarajan told The Indian Express.

While Natarajan’s team includes community health workers who work in the slums of Mumbai, a diabetes van equipped with a fundus camera and retinal laser machine travels to the interiors of the slums to reach out to the diabetic retinopathy patients. A screening campaign had been organised and now, the project will be extended to various parts of Maharashtra.

Natarajan, who is also the chairperson and managing director of Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital in Mumbai, said the All India Ophthalmology Society submitted a proposal to Union Health Minister J P Nadda recently on a nation-wide study on screening for diabetes and other eye complications.

“According to recent reports, there are 65.1 million diabetes patients in the country. We are now toying with the idea of training non-skilled workers who have passed Class VIII and other volunteers to use hand-held cameras and undertake a basic screening programme to detect diabetes and related eye complications. Guidance will be provided at each stage,” Natarajan who has also embarked on a world-wide tour as part of the society’s Stop Blindness programme said.

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He added that dilated fundus examination was the standard method for diabetic retinopathy screening. Inadequate infrastructure and lack of trained ophthalmic technicians and high cost are restraining factors to screen a large number of people. Hence, in resource-deficient settings, the project will resort to alternatives like training non-skilled workers. An image of the retina will be taken and then read by an ophthalmologist through teleophthalmology and diagnosis would be provided.

All those requiring further management will then be called on a pre-fixed day and place where an ophthalmologist would provide treatment in a van equipped with fluorescein angiography and laser. Further treatment can be provided at the hospital at an affordable cost.

Early diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy can prevent vision loss and improve the quality of life, Natarajan added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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