The commonest cause of blindness in India:

Haryana CHO -2023

Medical & Surgical Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: Haryana CHO -2023

Explanation

Cataract is the principal cause of blindness in India, responsible for the vast majority of cases.
Data from the National Survey on Blindness (2015–19) confirms that untreated cataracts account for 66.2% of all blindness in the country.
This condition involves the opacification of the natural crystalline lens, leading to progressive, painless vision loss.
A key feature of cataract-induced blindness is that it is reversible with surgery, which is a high-impact public health intervention.

Option B: Trachoma is an infectious cause of blindness whose prevalence has been drastically reduced in India through public health initiatives (SAFE strategy). It now accounts for less than 1% of blindness cases.
Option C: While Glaucoma is a major public health concern, it is the second leading cause of blindness in India (around 5.5%), not the most common. Its primary significance is that the vision loss it causes is irreversible.
Option D: Keratomalacia is a condition resulting from severe Vitamin A deficiency. It primarily causes childhood blindness and its incidence has dramatically decreased due to national nutritional programs, such as Vitamin A supplementation.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Epidemiology of blindness in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses are central to the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) through community screening, health education, and facilitating referrals for cataract surgery.
A key nursing role is patient education on post-operative care after cataract surgery, including proper eye drop instillation, hygiene, use of protective eyewear, and recognizing warning signs of complications like pain, increased redness, or sudden vision decrease.
What if? If the question specified the most common cause of blindness in children in India, the answer would shift away from age-related cataracts to causes like uncorrected refractive errors, congenital anomalies, and residual effects of Vitamin A deficiency.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the keywords in the question: "commonest cause," "blindness," and "India." This frames the question as a matter of public health epidemiology specific to the Indian context.
Recognize this is a factual recall question. You need to access your knowledge about the prevalence of different eye diseases.
Consider the options. All are valid causes of blindness. The task is to determine which is the most frequent.
Think about the demographics. Cataracts are strongly associated with aging. Given India's large and aging population, cataracts are statistically likely to be a leading cause.
Contrast this with the other options. Trachoma and Keratomalacia are known targets of successful public health programs, so their prevalence has decreased. Glaucoma is a major cause, but typically ranks second to cataracts.
Based on this reasoning, select Cataract as the most prevalent cause of blindness in India.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 73-75