New Delhi: A landmark national survey led by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has found that India’s eye care system is overwhelmingly dependent on private players, leaving vast sections of the population without access to affordable or comprehensive services.

The Human Resources and Infrastructure for Ophthalmic Services in India survey, conducted in 2020–21 (and published in Indian Journal of Opthalmology in Nov 2025) under Dr Praveen Vashist, professor and head of community ophthalmology at AIIMS, in collaboration with the ministry of health, the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) and Vision 2020 India, is the largest-ever mapping of the country’s eye-care workforce and facilities. The multi-institutional online survey covered nearly 8,000 institutions, generating

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