The first 50 such centres have begun operations across Patna, Gaya, Hajipur, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Nalanda | Photo Credit: Getty Images

ASG Eye Hospital has partnered with Bihar’s State Health Society – a public-private partnership in primary eye care in India – to set up 200 vision centres across 38 districts, it said. 

The initiative is a first of sorts and aims to advance primary ophthalmic care within existing government health infrastructure to address blindness and vision impairment due to highly treatable disorders like cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other conditions, stated a note from the super speciality hospital chain.

The first 50 such centres have begun operations across Patna, Gaya, Hajipur, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Nalanda, it said, adding that the rest will be operational over the next 45 days to reach their target of 200 by mid-August.

The vision centres managed by ASG Eye Hospital will be integrated with the primary health centres (PHCs), community health centres (CHCs), sub-divisional hospitals (SDHs), as well as referral hospitals (RHs) and serve as the community’s first point of contact for eye health services, the note explained. “Each vision centre will be equipped with advanced diagnostic instruments including auto-refractometers, slit lamps, tonometres, retinoscopes, trial lens sets, near vision drums, pen torches, binomag, trial frames, near vision books and telemedicine-enabled systems to facilitate remote consultations with ASG’s network of senior ophthalmologists taking accessibility much farther than just physical centres,” it added.

40 lakh beneficiaries

The centres will also be staffed with optometrists and vision technicians, and will follow standardised clinical protocols, added the note. Patients who require specialised treatment will be referred to the nearest ASG Eye Hospital for further treatment.

Dr Arun Singhvi, Managing Director and CEO, ASG Eye Hospital, said, the project helps reach the under-served and economically-disadvantaged class in Bihar, besides creating “a path for a replicable public health model that allows us to address the critical, unmet need of timely diagnostic intervention for these beneficiaries.” These timely check-ups for highly treatable cases of refractive errors, cataract, glaucoma can save sight and lives, he said, adding that it would further “reduce load on tertiary hospitals and will reduce treatment costs for patients since it will be covered under the government-run insurance programmes like Ayushman Bharat and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), with over 40 lakh patients benefitting from this project in just the next 12 months, through subsidised surgeries, medicines, and prescription spectacles. We believe the impact of this project will truly embody our vision of enhancing vision, touching lives.”

The hospital chain was founded in December 2005 in Jodhpur by All India Institute of Medical Sciences’ (New Delhi) alumni Dr Arun Singhvi, (its Managing Director and CEO). ASG operates over 165 super-speciality eye hospitals across 83 cities, offering a full spectrum of services from routine vision screening and refractive surgery to advanced specialty treatments in cataract, cornea, glaucoma, retina, and paediatric ophthalmology, it said.

Published on July 9, 2025