393 vision centres launched under Asha Kirana across Karnataka

Bengaluru: Under the Asha Kirana initiative, 393 vision centres were launched across Karnataka on July 3. The initiative aims to tackle preventable blindness.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar inaugurated the vision centre at the BBMP Multispeciality Hospital in Govindaraj Nagar on Thursday. This would mark the simultaneous inauguration of all vision centres across the state, he said.

The vision centres are located at district and taluk hospitals and community health centres. Some of the services provided at the centres include comprehensive eye checkups for people across all age groups, free spectacles for the visually-impaired, and free of charge cataract surgery.

The Asha Kirana initiative by Karnataka's Department of Health and Family Welfare is being helmed by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. It was launched in February 2024.

Lauding Rao's work in the health department, the DyCM said, "The health minister is doing good work for the people of Karnataka. The vision centres at government hospitals are one such great initiative. I urge the people of Karnataka to take advantage of this service."

Of the 11 vision centres under the BBMP, 5 centres have been set up under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of Sightsavers India. 13 centres across the state have been set up by OneSight Essilorluxottica Foundation as part of their CSR.

So far, under the Asha Kirana initiative, 1.40 crore people have undergone primary eye check-ups in 8 districts, and 1.05 lakh patients have availed free cataract surgery. Free spectacles have been distributed to 4.3 lakh people.

On June 30, a letter by the WHO recognised the impact and scalability of the Asha Kirana initiative. The initiative is set to be documented by the WHO.