Prevalence of Vision Impairment in Telangana

Several social and economic factors contribute to the fact that 55% of Telangana's female population has vision impairment (VI) compared to men. According to a recent study on vision impairment (VI) and access to eye care in southern parts of India, researchers from the city-based LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) found that this is mostly because women have delayed or limited access to primary and secondary eye care facilities.

A study involving the examination of electronic health records belonging to approximately seven million individuals across four states—Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Odisha—was published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology in February 2024.

Cultural and socioeconomic factors are the main causes of the disparities that prevent women from receiving adequate eye care. Their access to travel, financial resources, and social support systems all make it difficult for them to get the eye care they need. One of the most underserved groups when it comes to access to eye care, according to the LVPEI researchers, are women in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries like India.

Some of the reasons why women don't seek medical attention as often as men do include cultural biases, lower levels of economic empowerment and literacy, and a lack of perceived need. And this is so despite the fact that, for a variety of reasons, women experience a higher risk of VI and blindness than men do. It has been demonstrated in numerous eye care studies that women do not make the most efficient use of healthcare services in comparison to men.

Eye care challenges for women in Telangana

• More women than men are likely to have some kind of visual impairment, according to studies.
• Tertiary care and high-end eye care facilities are only accessible to 40–42% of women.
• Optometrists can expect more female patients if they are conveniently located near their homes.
• In the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, and Telangana, just 44.5% of women go to a rural eye clinic.
• The inability to access eye care due to financial constraints, social isolation, and other limitations forces women to forgo care.