India is committed to reduce the burden of blindness by adopting the strategies advocated by Vision 2020 -“THE RIGHT TO SIGHT” which seeks to ensure the best possible vision for all people following an integrated approach. Currently, LEPRA Society is a member of VISION 2020 – a national forum in India committed to the prevention of blindness and an active partner in the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) for the prevention of blindness in Western Odisha.

  The primary eye-care services extended by LEPRA Society are a part of disability care to leprosy affected persons. While closely interacting with the communities, LEPRA Society field staff advised people severely affected by leprosy and suffering from disfigurement and disabilities, to get cataract and other eye problems treated by specialists.  However, it was observed that the eye specialists were averse to attending to people affected by leprosy and hence, people with lagophthalmos (inability to close the eyelids completely) damaged their eyes resulting in loss of vision.

  LEPRA Society initiated eye care activities in Telangana and Odisha as one of the disability management components in all its leprosy projects and gradually extended the same to general population collaborating with government in different operational areas.