Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Tamil Nadu Plans Annual Retina Screening For Adults Over 30
Tamil Nadu plans to check people’s eyes regularly to find retina problems early.
The new Save Retina programme will mainly cover people aged 30 and older.
People with diabetes or high blood pressure will also be included.
Health workers will provide screening at government health centres and hospitals.
A government eye hospital in Egmore will train staff and provide equipment.
The government is also adding nursing, pharmacy and allied health education seats.
The Health Minister said dengue cases recently increased and then began to fall.
Residents were asked not to leave standing water near their homes because mosquitoes can breed there.
Tamil Nadu will launch the Save Retina programme to screen people aged 30 and above annually for retinal disorders.
Screening will cover 385 block-level primary health centres, 150 urban primary health centres and hospitals across the state.
The Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital in Egmore will serve as the programme’s nodal centre.
The government approved six new nursing colleges and additional seats in nursing, pharmacy and allied health courses.
Dengue cases rose sharply before declining in mid-September, with nine dengue-related deaths reported in Tamil Nadu this year.
- Who
- The Tamil Nadu Health Department, led in the announcement by Health Minister K.G. Arunraj, will implement the programme.
- What
- The Save Retina programme will provide annual retinal screening for people aged 30 and above and for people with conditions including diabetes and hypertension.
- When
- The programme is set to be rolled out after its pre-release event on Friday; specific launch date details were not provided.
- Where
- Screening will take place at government health centres and hospitals across Tamil Nadu, with the Egmore government ophthalmic hospital as the nodal centre.
- Why
- The initiative aims to detect retinal diseases early and enable timely specialised treatment.
- Programme
- Save Retina, also called Vizhithirai Kaappom
- Target group
- People aged 30 and above, plus people with diabetes or hypertension
- Screening network
- 385 block-level government primary health centres, 150 urban primary health centres and multiple government hospitals
- Nodal centre
- Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Egmore
- New nursing colleges
- Six colleges at medical college hospitals in Tirunelveli, Tiruchy, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Namakkal
- Nursing college cost
- Rs 270.26 crore
- Dengue deaths
- Nine dengue-related deaths reported in Tamil Nadu so far this year