Community Eye Care and Research Projects (Ongoing)
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RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
The department is currently involved in The National Survey on Human Resources & Infrastructure for Paediatric Eye Care Services in India. As on 15th October 2020, there are nearly 10303 eye institutes in the entire country, out of which 8125 (78.9%) institutes have been contacted telephonically for participation in the HR survey. Out of them, completed responses have been received from 7200 institutes (Response Rate 88.6%) & about 2000 institutes were found to have paediatric oriented services (defined as paediatric OT facilities under general anaesthesia).
National Blindness Survey was completed in 30 districts and National Trachoma Survey in 24 districts in the country with support from National Programme for Control Blindness (NPCB), Government of India. Under the NBS and in each district, a sample of 3000 participants aged 50 years and above were enumerated and at-least 90% of them were examined across 50 clusters spread throughout the district. A GIS based map of each cluster covered was also being prepared. It was for the first time that an assessment of diabetic status and evaluation of patients (either newly diagnosed or previously diagnosed) for presence of Diabetic Retinopathy was also being done in a nation-wide manner. Each survey was facilitated and closely monitored by faculty from RP Centre at initiation, interim and towards the end of the survey which required 10-18 days of continuous field work. Emphasis was given for involvement of local medical colleges or renowned non-profit centres of Ophthalmology when doing the survey in a district. Over 93,000 participants were enrolled in the National Blindness Survey and over 25,00 children and 55,000 adults in the National Trachoma Survey.
Historically, the Community Ophthalmology department has been engaged in various national level blindness surveys, INDEYE and INDGEN studies on age related eye diseases and its genetic component in collaboration with LSH&TM, manpower and management training with Lions Club International Foundation, operational research studies with ORBIS, situational assessment of eye care infrastructure, Corneal Opacity Rural Epidemiological (CORE) study, North India Myopia Study (NIMS), training programs in primary eye care. Innovative tools such as the IND-VFQ, a National Surveillance Unit to assess the cataract surgical outcomes in country, IEC material on primary eye care were also developed and put into practice by the department. National agencies like ICMR, DST have been collaborated with in community based research work. Close collaborations have been developed with international agencies like World Health Organization, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine UK, Wellcome trust, ORBIS, Sightsavers, Operation Eyesight Universal, CBM, Lions Clubs International Foundation etc.
