Q: Which of the following strategies is employed by the National Programme for Control of Blindness to evaluate post-operative visual outcomes following cataract surgery extraction?

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  1)  Routine monitoring of all operated cases

  2)  Passive surveillance

  3)  Sentinel surveillance

  4)  Active surveillance

Answer: Passive surveillance

Revised strategies under NPCB includes shift from the Eye Camp Approach to a fixed facility Surgical Approach. (Park 22nd ed. Pg 406)

The Eye Camp approach is synonymous to field visit which comes under the definition of Active Surveillance.

The Fixed Facility approach necessitates that the patient comes to a fixed facility for follow-up after the surgery which comes under the definition of Passive Surveillance.

Note that option 1) Routine monitoring of all operated cases is done in all cases but is not specific to NPCB

NPCB:

-Launched in 1976

-100% centrally sponsored

-Goal: Reduce prevalence of Blindness to 0.3% by 2020

-Current prevalence of Blindness = 1% (2007 survey)

-A cataract surgery rate of 400 operations per lac population is required to enable states to clear backlog of cataract blindness.

- Bihar & Assam are lowest performing states.

Blindness is defined under NPCB as follows:

Simple Definition: Inability of a person to count fingers from a distance of 6 meters or 20 feet .

Technical Definition:

- Vision 6/60 or less with the best possible spectacle correction.

- Diminution of field vision to 20° or less in better eye.

Note: For International comparison, WHO has defined blindness at the level of 3/60 or   inability to count fingers at a distance of 3 meters or 10 feet

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