Every year, over 65 lakh cataract removal procedures are performed in India as part of the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI).

It was seen that amid the raging COVID pandemic in 2020–21, the number of these procedures performed under the government initiative went down by 50%. It was reported that only 35.5 lakh cataract surgeries were performed in 2020–21.

Furthermore, it was also observed that the number of procedures performed in 2021–22 was below the 65 lakh mark. Therefore, the health ministry launched an NPCBVI campaign in 2022–23 to overcome these dropping numbers.

On Thursday, the health ministry lauded the success of the campaign and stated that with the efforts of healthcare workers and the NPCBVI team, more than 83.4 lakh cataract surgeries were performed successfully in 2022–23. 

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/record-83-4-lakh-cataract-surgeries-executed-in-2022-2023-government/100865981 )