Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) is a well-established population-based eye health survey. It assesses the prevalence and causes of vision impairment and blindness among people aged 50 years and older, as well as reporting priority eye care service indicators. It provides locally-relevant data and is used by both governments and non-governmental eye health service providers at national and sub-national levels.
RAAB surveys provide the majority of data used to estimate the global and regional prevalence and causes of vision impairment, as well as data which is vital for tracking progress towards universal health coverage.
What is RAAB7?
RAAB7 is the new generation of the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness population-based eye health survey. Delivered digitally, it enables faster, more accurate collection and analysis of secure, high-quality eye health data relevant to current eye health priorities. RAAB7 replaces its predecessor (RAAB6) and provides enhanced functionality and greater efficiencies across multiple stages of the survey.
RAAB7 has been developed in collaboration between the International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Peek Vision, in consultation with a steering group made up of representatives from the global eye health sector.
Powered by Peek technology, RAAB7 has been designed and tested over three years with leading sector organizations. It includes new and updated features based on the current eye health landscape to meet stakeholders’ evolving needs, and to enable them to capture the highest-quality eye health planning data.
Aim of RAAB Survey
The main aims of RAAB are as follows
- To estimate the prevalence and causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment in people aged 50 and above
- To assess cataract surgical coverage
- To identify the main barriers to the uptake of cataract surgery
- To measure outcome after cataract surgery.
What RAAB is not
- RAAB is not a case-finding exercise: it will not provide a list of names and addresses of all people who are blind due to (for example) cataract in an area.
- RAAB is not a detailed vision survey: it provides a reasonably accurate estimate of the prevalence of blindness, and the proportion that is avoidable, in a geographic area. RAAB is not designed to give accurate estimates of the prevalence of specific causes of blindness and does not measure posterior segment disease in detail.
- RAAB focuses on people aged 50 years and above and so it does not give an estimate of childhood blindness, which is better measured through other approaches such as the Key Informant Method.
- RAAB6 does not provide data on human and financial resources, which are also imperative for eye health planning. However, a planning module and situational analysis support is being developed within the RAAB7 project.
Current Status of the RAAB survey in Nepal:
Province |
Remarks |
| Province-01 | Report Writing Phase |
| Madhesh Province | Report Writing Phase |
| Bagmati Province | Done by Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology |
| Gandaki Province | Done |
| Lumbini Province | Report Writing Phase |
| Karnali Province | Download Report |
| Sudurpaschim Province | Halt due to COVID-19 Pandemic, About 40% clusters has been covered |
