Eye Care Clinics to be rolled out across Telangana, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital will be central hub

The Telangana government will establish Eye Care Clinics across the State to expand access to continuous eye care services, Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha told the Legislative Council on Saturday (January 3, 2026).

Replying to questions during Question Hour, the Minister said that the clinics will offer round-the-clock services rather than relying on short-term eye camps. The Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital in Hyderabad will function as the central hub for managing and coordinating these clinics across the State.

Decision after Committee submits report

“An ophthalmology specialist has been appointed as a Nodal Officer to ensure coordination between the hub and the peripheral clinics, particularly for screening and surgical referrals. A high-level technical expert committee has also been constituted to assess the burden and severity of eye diseases in Telangana and to recommend appropriate treatment protocols. Decisions on the final structure and functioning of the eye care clinics will be taken after the committee submits its report,” he added.

Referring to the Kanti Velugu programme, the Minister said that the initiative was conducted in two phases, first in 2018 and later in 2023. He said the programme was limited to screening and distribution of spectacles. Although doctors identified that around 9.3 lakh people required eye surgeries during the programme, the initiative concluded without surgical interventions being carried out.

The Minister also informed that under the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), which has been in operation since 1976, the State has recorded a significant scale-up in services. Over the last two years combined, in 2024 and 2025, a total of 6,12,973 cataract surgeries were performed. During the same period, eye screening was conducted for 33,65,832 school students, with spectacles distributed to 76,176 students who required vision correction.