Blindness

Vision impairment and blindness affect all aspects of life. Conditions affecting vision are remarkably common, and everyone who lives long enough will experience at least one eye condition that will require care. Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment, or which at least 1 billion could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed. The burden of this impairment is not equally distributed, weighing more heavily on low- and middle-income regions, older people and rural communities. The primary causes of vision impairment and blindness worldwide are refractive errors and cataracts. Other significant causes include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

Based on WHO calculations, about 86 million people in the Region are estimated to be in need of glasses and low-vision aids. The proportion of ageing population (60 years and older) of the regional population is estimated to increase from about 6.6% in 2015 to almost 15.0% in 2050. The number of people with visual impairment is thus expected to increase as the population ages.

The control and prevention of blindness is a priority area in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. Regional challenges including a high prevalence of eye diseases and inadequate integration of eye care at all levels of health care, especially in primary health care.

Vision impairment profoundly affects individuals across their entire life course. Young children experiencing early onset severe vision impairment may face delays in motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development, the consequences which can persist throughout life. Among school-age children, vision impairment can lead to lower levels of educational achievement when compared to their sighted peers. In adults, decreased vision is linked to lower rates of workforce participation and productivity, alongside higher rates of depression and anxiety. For older individuals, decreased vision contributes significantly to social isolation, difficulty walking, a higher risk of falls and fractures, and a greater likelihood of early entry into nursing or care facilities.

The burden of eye-related conditions and vision impairment in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has substantial implications for the demand of related health services. Practical guidance to pursue integrated people-centred eye care, including preventable vision impairment and blindness, is therefore much needed in the Region.

Beyond personal impact, vision impairment poses an enormous global financial burden due to productivity loss. The annual global cost resulting from productivity loss alone is estimated to be approximately US$ 411 billion. This substantial cost greatly exceeds the estimated financial gap of addressing the current unmet need for vision impairment, which is approximately US$ 24.8 billion globally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is committed to working with Member States and partners to lessen the burden of vision impairment. This work is guided by the World report on vision (2019) and the subsequent World Health Assembly resolution on integrated people-centred eye care (IPEC), adopted in 2020. IPEC is proposed as the crucial care model for widespread implementation, designed to deliver a continuum of care – including promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation – coordinated across all service levels. To accelerate global efforts, WHO Member States endorsed a major global target at the Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly (2021) to achieve a 40-percentage point increase in effective coverage of refractive error by 2030. The SPECS 2030 initiative was launched by WHO to support countries in reaching this specific target.

WHO provides technical support and tools such as the Package of eye care interventions (PECI), the Eye care competency framework (ECCF), and the Eye care in health systems: Guide for action, to assist in integrating eye care effectively into national health systems. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Control and Prevention of Blindness Programme offers technical support for developing national comprehensive eye care plans, building capacity, expanding eye care at the district level, and coordinating the control of major causes of blindness.