The report documents the integration of Asha Kirana’s specialised eye-care services into Karnataka’s primary healthcare infrastructure. It brings together findings from phased studies conducted from 2022 up to the present across eight districts of the state. During this period, 14 million primary screenings were conducted, more than 4.5 lakh free spectacles were provided, and over 2.5 lakh cataract surgeries were performed.
The institutionalisation of 393 Drishti Kendras is a key milestone in establishing integrated, community-based eye-care services on a permanent basis. The centres aim to expand access to eye care while maintaining equity, clinical quality and long-term sustainability. Each centre has been mapped to secondary surgical centres to facilitate advanced interventions, including cataract surgery and specialised management of complex ocular pathologies, enabling a comprehensive approach to eye-care management across the state.
The report identifies government commitment, multi-sectoral partnerships and quality assurance as central elements of the integrated strategic framework required to ensure the long-term viability of the initiative.
The report was released by Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader Fareed in the presence of Venu Ambati, President, Greater India, EssilorLuxottica, and Director, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, and Dr B Mohammed Asheel, National Professional Officer for Non-Communicable Diseases at WHO India, who attended online.
Speaking at the release, U T Khader Fareed said Karnataka was among the few progressive states in India with a clear vision of becoming blindness-free. He said the state’s systematic approach to improving access to eye care had been documented as a case study for a holistic approach to eye care in India.
The minister said the 393 Drishti Kendras, located across community health centres, taluka hospitals and district hospitals, were aligned with the objectives of Asha Kirana. The initiative seeks to prevent and mitigate avoidable blindness and visual impairment in Karnataka by addressing two of the conditions responsible for most avoidable vision loss: uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts.
He thanked the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation for partnering with the state in institutionalising Asha Kirana and integrating eye care into the public health system.
The minister also highlighted the foundation’s work with Asha Kiranas, including efforts to develop their skills, capabilities and knowledge to deliver universal, community-based, door-to-door vision screenings and reduce avoidable blindness across the region.
He said the World Sight Day 2026 celebrations would see 40,000 Asha Kiranas receive free sunglasses from the foundation. To mark the occasion, the foundation had organised a Blind Walk from the Vidhan Saudha, with participation from citizens from different walks of life. The minister congratulated the OneSight Foundation for its efforts towards advancing vision care.
Venu Ambati said the foundation was proud to partner with the Government of Karnataka in expanding equitable access to eye care. He described the Asha Kirana model and the establishment of 393 Drishti Kendras as evidence of the initiative’s scalability, saying it had the potential to evolve from a state-level innovation into a model that could be replicated globally.
Ambati said the foundation looked forward to partnering with other states to explore the potential rollout of Asha Kirana as a model for national programme implementation. He said states could be encouraged to adopt the core principles of the WHO’s Integrated People-Centred Eye Care framework, undertake community-based screening through health worker networks and establish permanent vision centres within primary healthcare systems.
He also thanked Karnataka for co-creating the model and said the WHO report documented steps that states could take to build collaborative systems for comprehensive eye-care management.
Dr Mohammed Asheel, Country Focal Point for Eye Care at WHO India, said the significance of Asha Kirana extended beyond eye care in Karnataka. He described the initiative as an example of how the WHO’s Integrated People-Centred Eye Care (IPEC) framework could be implemented in a resource-constrained setting.
According to Asheel, Asha Kirana translates the framework’s principles into operational strategies through community-based service delivery, workforce empowerment, technology-enabled accountability, targeted approaches to equity and the creation of enabling environments.
He said the model demonstrated the importance of systems thinking, political commitment and translating policy principles into practical implementation mechanisms. He added that Asha Kirana offered valuable lessons for documentation, learning and adaptation in other settings, illustrating how WHO frameworks could be incorporated into public health programmes.
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation works to expand sustainable access to vision care in underserved communities worldwide. Inspired by EssilorLuxottica’s mission to Empower Humans, the foundation provides free eye examinations and glasses, strengthens local vision-care systems, and partners with non-governmental organisations, governments and other organisations to develop scalable, long-term solutions.
As the first Global Collaborating Partner of the WHO’s SPECS 2030 initiative, the foundation supports the integration of vision care into primary healthcare systems and advances efforts towards universal access. Its work has reached more than 140 countries and enabled access to vision care for over one billion people.
The World Health Organization is the United Nations’ specialised agency for health. WHO India works with the Government of India and state governments to strengthen health systems, advance Universal Health Coverage and improve health outcomes nationwide. The WHO Country Office for India is headquartered in New Delhi and has a presence across the country. Its website is www.who.int/india.
The report places Karnataka’s Asha Kirana initiative within the broader effort to integrate eye care into public healthcare, highlighting the role of permanent vision centres, community-based screening and partnerships in expanding access to eye-care services.
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