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WHO|Visualimpairmentandblindness

Mediacentre
Visualimpairmentandblindness
FactSheetN282
UpdatedAugust2014

Keyfacts
285millionpeopleareestimatedtobevisuallyimpairedworldwide:
39millionareblindand246havelowvision.
About90%oftheworld'svisuallyimpairedliveinlowincome
settings.
82%ofpeoplelivingwithblindnessareaged50andabove.
Globally,uncorrectedrefractiveerrorsarethemaincauseof
moderateandseverevisualimpairmentcataractsremaintheleading
causeofblindnessinmiddleandlowincomecountries.
Thenumberofpeoplevisuallyimpairedfrominfectiousdiseaseshas
reducedinthelast20yearsaccordingtoglobalestimateswork.
80%ofallvisualimpairmentcanbepreventedorcured.

Definitions
Thereare4levelsofvisualfunction,accordingtotheInternational
ClassificationofDiseases10(UpdateandRevision2006):
1.normalvision
2.moderatevisualimpairment
3.severevisualimpairment
4.blindness.
Moderatevisualimpairmentcombinedwithseverevisualimpairmentare
groupedunderthetermlowvision:lowvisiontakentogetherwith
blindnessrepresentsallvisualimpairment.

Thecausesofvisualimpairment
Globallythemajorcausesofvisualimpairmentare:
uncorrectedrefractiveerrors(myopia,hyperopiaorastigmatism),43
%
unoperatedcataract,33%
glaucoma,2%.

Whoisatrisk?
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Approximately90%ofvisuallyimpairedpeopleliveindeveloping
countries.
Peopleaged50andover

About65%ofallpeoplewhoarevisuallyimpairedareaged50and
older,whilethisagegroupcomprisesabout20%oftheworld's
population.Withanincreasingelderlypopulationinmanycountries,
morepeoplewillbeatriskofvisualimpairmentduetochroniceye
diseasesandageingprocesses.
Childrenbelowage15

Anestimated19millionchildrenarevisuallyimpaired.Ofthese,12
millionchildrenarevisuallyimpairedduetorefractiveerrors,acondition
thatcouldbeeasilydiagnosedandcorrected.1.4millionareirreversibly
blindfortherestoftheirlivesandneedvisualrehabilitationinterventions
forafullpsychologicalandpersonaldevelopment.

Changesoverthelasttwentyyears
Overall,visualimpairmentworldwidehasdecreasedsincetheearly
estimatesin1990s.Thisisdespiteanageingglobalelderlypopulation.
Thisdecreaseisprincipallytheresultofareductioninvisualimpairment
frominfectiousdiseasesthrough:
overallsocioeconomicdevelopment
concertedpublichealthaction
increasedavailabilityofeyecareservices
awarenessofthegeneralpopulationaboutsolutionstotheproblems
relatedtovisualimpairment(surgery,refractiondevices,etc.).

Theglobalresponsetopreventblindness
Globally,80%ofallvisualimpairmentcanbepreventedorcured.Areas
ofprogressoverthelast20yearsinclude:
governmentsestablishednationalprogrammesandregulationsto
preventandcontrolvisualimpairment
eyecareservicesincreasinglyavailableandprogressivelyintegrated
intoprimaryandsecondaryhealthcaresystems,withafocusonthe
provisionofservicesthatarehighquality,availableandaffordable
campaignstoeducateaboutvisualfunctionimportanceandraise
awareness,includingschoolbasededucationand
strongergovernmentleadershiponinternationalpartnerships,with
increasingengagementoftheprivatesector.
Dataoverthelast20yearsshowsthattherehasbeensignificant
progressinpreventingandcuringvisualimpairmentinmanycountries.
Furthermore,themassivereductioninonchocerciasisandtrachoma
relatedblindnessispartofasignificantreductioninthedisease
distributionandhassubstantiallyreducedtheburdenresultingfrom
theseinfectiousdiseases.Thishasbeenachievedthroughanumberof
successfulinternationalpublicprivatepartnerships.
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Specificachievementsinclude:
Brazilwhichinthelastdecadehasbeenprovidingeyecareservices
throughthenationalsocialsecuritysystem
Morocoowhichhaslaunchedapublicefforttocontrolglaucoma
Chinawhichhasinvestedover100milliondollarsincataract
surgeriessince2009
Omanhascompletelyintegratedeyecareserviceprovisioninthe
primaryhealthcareframeworkoverthelastdecadeand
Indiasince1995hasmadeavailablefundsforeyecareservice
provisionforthepoorestatdistrictlevel.
Thelargestcivilsocietyefforttopreventandcureblindingdiseaseand
rehabilitatepeoplewhoseirreversiblyvisuallyimpairedorblindisthe
SightFirstprogrammeoftheInternationalAssociationoftheLionsClub
(LIONS).Amongothers,thisprogrammesupportsthelargestinitiativeto
developchildeyecarecentres(45nationalreferencepaediatriccentres
establishedin35countriessofar),implementedinpartnershipwith
WHO.

WHOresponse
WHOcoordinatestheinternationaleffortstoreducevisualimpairments.
It'sroleisto:
monitortheworldwidetrendsofvisualimpairmentbycountryandby
region
developpoliciesandstrategiestopreventblindnessappropriatefor
variousdevelopmentsettings
togivetechnicalassistancetoMemberStatesandpartners
toplan,monitorandevaluateprogrammesand
tocoordinateeffectiveinternationalpartnershipsinsupportof
nationalefforts.
In2013,theWorldHealthAssemblyapprovedthe201419ActionPlan
fortheuniversalaccesstoeyehealth,aroadmapforMemberStates,
WHOSecretariatandinternationalpartnerswiththeaimofachievinga
measurablereductionof25%ofavoidablevisualimpairmentsby2019.
WHOworkstostrengthennationalandcountryleveleffortstoeliminate
avoidableblindness,helpnationalhealthcareproviderstreateye
diseases,expandaccesstoeyehealthservices,andincrease
rehabilitationforpeoplewithresidualvisualimpairmentorwhoareblind.
Buildingaccessibleandcomprehensivehealthsystemsisthefocusof
thisdecade.
WHOleadsseveralinternationalalliancesofgovernments,private
sectorandcivilsocietyorganizationsaimingatcontributingtothe
eliminationofblindingdiseases.Italsoprovidestechnicalleadershipto
specificdiseaseeffortswhicharedeployedbyitspartnersortheprivate
sectortoeliminatetrachomafromtheworldbytheyear2020.
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ForthelasttwodecadesWHOhasworkedwithanetworkof
internationalpartnersandprivatesectortoensurethatappropriate,
updated,goodqualityeyecaresolutionsweremadeavailabletothe
peopleinneed.
Since2004,WHOinpartnershipwithLionsClubsInternationalhas
establishedaglobalnetworkof45childhoodblindnesscentresin35
countriesforthepreservation,restorationorrehabilitationofsightin
children.Thisuniqueandinnovativeglobalprojecthasservedsofar
morethan150millionchildrenandwillopen10additionaleyecare
servicecentresforthechildrenin10newcountriesin2014.Thecentres
willhelpcombattofightavoidablechildhoodblindnessandhelpsecuring
afuturewithfullvisualfunctionforthechildreninneedofcare.
InresponsetotheincreasingburdenofchroniceyediseaseWHOis
coordinatingaglobalresearchefforttomapservicesandpoliciesfor
controllingdiabeticretinopathy,glaucoma,agerelatedmacular
degenerationandrefractiveerrors.
Finally,tosupportcomprehensiveeyecaresystems,WHOcontinuesto
provideepidemiologicandpublichealthtechnicalsupporttoitsMember
States.

Formoreinformationcontact:
WHOMediacentre
Email:mediainquiries@who.int

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