At the age of 62, Ramesh, a farmer in Jharkhand, was forced to stop working after being cloudy gradually.

For months, he struggled to recognize the faces, leads to crops, or even without help. It was not the age of catching with her, it was cataract, a healing condition that did not pay any attention for years and became untreated.

But Ramesh’s story is far from unique. Cataracts are still the main cause of blindness in India, especially affecting people in rural and undertanded areas.

According to the National Blindness and Visual Impression Survey (2015-2019), 66.2% of people between the ages of 50 and above are due to untreated cataracts in cases of blindness.

While blindness related to cataract is reversible through a simple surgery, obstacles such as access, awareness and strength leave millions of people in the dark.

Why cataract leads to blindness

A cataract is a cloud of the natural lens of the eye, usually caused by aging, UV exposure, diabetes or trauma.

This cloud gradually blur the vision, eventually completes blindness when not treated. Cataract can affect both eyes and often starts subtle.

Blurred vision, difficulty with night driving, or sensitivity to light are initial signs that can be easily ignored.

Leave untreated, the lens becomes rapidly opaque, causing light to reach the retina and blindness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that cataract contributes to more than half of the world’s blindness matters, and India is a major part.

Cataract rural is scaring livelihood

Dawangere Netaraya’s ophthalmologist Dr. Sunil Gannakal said, “Cataract has a serious economic effect in rural India.”

“They reduce productivity, increase dependence, and eliminate poverty,” he said.

In villages where farming and manual labor dominate, clear vision is necessary.

Cataracts obstruct basic functions such as sowing, weeding, and harvesting, reducing agricultural production and endangering livelihood.

“After losing their vision, big adults often depend on family members, pull young people, especially women, work to provide away from school or to provide care,” Dr. Gannakal explained.

Even though cataract surgery is one of the most cost -effective medical procedures, accessing the operating table is far from away.

In rural India, treatment is often delayed or denied due to awareness, financial difficulty or lack of distance from health centers.

Evidence suggests that cataract surgery does not only restore vision, it changes life economically.

A study in South India found that those who underwent cataract surgery were five times less likely to live in the lowest -income bracket and was more likely to be employed after a year.

In rural Maharashtra, about 90% of patients resumed economic activities after surgery. Another community-based study in Jharkhand found a dissemination of 23% cataract, but patients showed a significant improvement in the quality of life after surgery.

“The work that the older people had stopped doing were capable of returning to the fields. They could once again pass on traditional farming knowledge, re -connect social life, and contribute to domestic income,” Dr. Gannakal said.

Why are more people not undergoing surgery?

Despite its benefits, cataract surgery is low in rural India.

Dr. Gannakal shared the reasons that are both systemic and social by obstacles.

• Economic stress: Even subsidized surgery cannot cover travel, time work, or post-up care.
• Misunderstanding: “Many people believe that blindness is an indispensable part of aging or divine luck,” Dr. Gannakal said. This prevents them from asking for help.
• Logistics: Lack of poor roads and transportation is difficult to reach surgery centers.
• gender inequality: Women may require family permission, which may delay or refuse care.

Models like mobile eye camps that screen patients in villages and take them to hospitals for surgery are showing promises.

India has made significant progress in reducing cataract blindness in the last few decades, yet millions remain blind.

Scale to rural outreach, strengthening health infrastructure and investing in public awareness can change the tide.