Cairo, 9 October 2012 - Avoidable blindness and visual impairment are global health problems which have significant economic dimensions. Globally, 285 million people are visually impaired, including 39 million people who are blind. The global economy loses tens of billions of dollars annually as a result of blindness and visual impairment, which affects families, societies and countries. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the population living with visual impairment is more than 23 million, out of whom 5 million are blind.

This Thursday, 11 October, the world celebrates World Sight Day. The celebration will focus on eye health and on ensuring equitable access to relevant care services. Most cases of visual impairment registered globally occur among men and women in the age group 50 years and older. Most of the eye diseases that affect people in the age group 50 years and older, such as cataract, can easily be treated. However, the need persists to ensure that men and women benefit equally from eye care services all across the world.

The evidence is growing that providing better eye health care can generate enormous economic benefits for countries and the global economy at large. Cataract, for example, is the major cause of blindness globally including in Egypt, yet it can be corrected by a simple procedure which is one of the most effective interventions in health care. In this respect, a study recently published by WHO finds that governments can add thousands of millions of dollars to the global economy by investing in improving eye care services through eye examinations and providing eye glasses to people who need them. It is estimated that achieving the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness could yield a minimum economic gain of $102 billion.

It is known that cataract is the leading cause of blindness and accounts for 51% of cases of blindness, followed by refractive error with 43% of cases. Once these causes are addressed, 80% of blindness and visual impairment cases can be prevented regionally and globally.

Right now a new action plan is being developed by WHO to set out the work needed to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. The action plan needs engagement and input from Member States and nongovernmental organizations to intensify their efforts to achieve the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness.