Independent and integrated ophthalmology – where justice and excellence meet

About 2.2 billion people worldwide are visually impaired, at least half of whom are preventable. Current estimates of preventable causes of moderate to severe visual impairment or blindness include untreated refractive error (88.4 million), cataracts (94 million), glaucoma (7.7 million), corneal opacity (4.2 million), Includes diabetic glaucoma (3.9 million) and trachoma (3.9 million). 2 million), but mostly due to uncorrected presbyopia (826 million). Of gross domestic product.  The World Health Organization's resolution on "Integrated Human-Centered Ophthalmology (IPEC), Including Preventive Blindness and Visual Impairment". At the core of the resolution is to make IPEC the optimal model and ensure its widespread implementation. It is estimated that about two-thirds of the population of India may require free or subsidized eye care, and if they have no such access, they may suffer marginalization and exclusion. Affordable and accessible high-quality care delivered by trained eye health professionals, ably assisted by cross-trained support staff in the setting of community-based self-sustainable, time- and resource-efficient eye care facilities, endowed with optimal infrastructure is the key to success in eliminating avoidable blindness. However, such lofty ideals may suffer an undeserved premature end unless there is built-in financial stability. In a situation of economic imbalance, financial independence, not charity, is the key to survival. Economic sustainability is directly derived from two core principles: revenue generation and cost optimization. Ophthalmology hospitals earn money primarily from patient care (those who can afford to pay for services), additional services such as optics and pharmacies, and the use of government programs and subsidies. Quality can have a direct impact on sustainability by involving parts of society that can afford to pay for care appropriately, thereby promoting organic growth. Increasing patient numbers bring an important economy of scale to the sustainability equation. People may not be willing to pay for preventive services or medical care, but they may be willing to pay for procedures that have noticeably decisive results, such as providing eyeglasses or cataract surgery.