{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,6]],"date-time":"2026-05-06T11:45:07Z","timestamp":1778067907958,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100011238","name":"Lions Clubs International Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SF 1944\/UND"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SF 1944\/UND"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100011238","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019367","name":"Seva Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["No award number"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No award number"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019367","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Br J Ophthalmol"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The Vision Centre (VC) model evolved to meet primary eye care needs in rural and underprivileged communities, overcoming workforce and resource challenges. Despite over two decades of operation, its impact is not well-documented. We evaluated its effectiveness by comparing prevalence of visual impairment (VI), eyecare utilisation and service coverage among residents within and beyond a 5\u2009km radius of VCs in Theni district, India.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, from 2016 to 2018. Using cluster random sampling, we examined 7127 subjects aged \u226540 years. We categorised them into Group 1 (living within 5\u2009km of VC) and Group 2 (living beyond 5\u2009km). We compared the prevalence of VI, utilisation, cataract surgical coverage (CSC), effective cataract surgical coverage (eCSC), refractive error coverage (REC) and effective refractive error coverage (eREC) between the groups.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Group 1 (n=3128) had lower age-sex-adjusted prevalence of VI (18.1% vs 25.2%) and higher eye care utilisation (66.7% vs 52.3%) compared with Group 2 (n=3999). Additionally, Group 1 demonstrated better CSC (63.9% vs 55.0%) and eCSC (44.8% vs 32.6%) than Group 2. REC for distance vision was 49.7% in Group 1 and 26.6% in Group 2, while eREC was 47.9% and 24.5%, respectively. Near vision coverage was 22.1% in Group 1 and 12.5% in Group 2.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>VCs greatly enhance eye care in rural and underserved areas. Residents near VCs had lower prevalence of VI, higher utilisation and better coverage compared with those farther away, demonstrating the model\u2019s effectiveness in improving eye care access and affordability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bjo-2024-326637","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,5]],"date-time":"2025-09-05T17:32:19Z","timestamp":1757093539000},"page":"212-218","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Impact of Vision Centres on achieving universal eye health coverage: prevalence, coverage and utilisation of eye care services in Southern India"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"110","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9161-5198","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vinoth Kumar","family":"Rajendran","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Division, Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, Aravind Eye Care System, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ramalakshmi","family":"Raman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostatistics, Aravind Eye Hospital and Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ashok","family":"Vardhan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sri Venkateswara Aravind Eye Hospital, Tirupati, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9459-5233","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sachin","family":"Gupta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cornell University Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Ithaca, New York, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abhinaya","family":"Bharath","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1935-7443","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thulasiraj D","family":"Ravilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, Aravind Eye Care System, Madurai, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026012202151223000_110.2.212.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"World Health Organization . 214. 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