Young children with severe early onset visual impairment may experience delayed motor, linguistic, emotional, social and cognitive development with lifelong consequences. School-aged children with visual impairments may also have low levels of education. Visual impairment is a huge global financial burden. For example, the overall annual cost of productivity losses related to visual impairment due to uncorrected myopia and presbyopia has been estimated at $244 billion and $25.4 billion, respectively. 2) Expert Group on Vision Loss of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Trends in the prevalence of blindness and near vision impairment over 30 years: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Global Health 2020. doi : 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30425-3 Population growth and aging are likely to increase the risk of more people with visual impairment. With regard to regional disparities, it is estimated that the prevalence of television disabilities is four times higher in low- and middle-income regions than in high-income regions (1). In terms of near vision, rates of untreated near vision are estimated at over 80% in sub-Saharan Africa, while comparison rates are estimated at less than 10% in high-income regions of North America, Australasia, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific (2).
Each eye disease requires a different and timely response. Effective interventions in the areas of promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation are available that address the needs of eye disease and visual impairment. Some are among the most cost-effective and feasible of all the health interventions that can be implemented. For example, uncorrected refractive errors can be corrected with glasses or surgery, while cataract surgery can restore vision. WHO`s work is guided by the recommendations of the WHO Global Vision Report (2019) and the resolution on «integrated and human-centred eye care, including avoidable blindness and visual impairment» adopted at the 73rd World Health Assembly in 2020. The main proposal of the report and resolution is to make integrated human-centred ophthalmology (IPEC) the model of care of choice and to ensure its widespread implementation. By shaping the World Vision agenda, the report and resolution are expected to support Member States and their partners in their efforts to reduce the burden of eye diseases and visual impairment and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG target 3.8 on universal health coverage. The International Classification of Diseases 11 (2018) classifies visual disorders into two groups, long-distance disorders and myopia disorders. 1) Expert Group on Vision Loss of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Causes of blindness and visual impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years: assessing the prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to «VISION 2020: the right to vision».
Lancet Global Health 2020. doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30489-7 In children, the causes of visual disturbances vary considerably from country to country. For example, in low-income countries, congenital cataract is a major cause, while in middle-income countries, it is more likely to be retinopathy of prematurity. As in the adult population, uncorrected refractive error remains one of the leading causes of visual impairment in children in all countries. Vision rehabilitation is very effective in improving the function of people with irreversible visual impairment, which can be caused by eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, the consequences of trauma and age-related macular degeneration. This one billion people includes people with moderate or severe television disability or blindness due to untreated refractive errors (88.4 million), cataracts (94 million), glaucoma (7.7 million), corneal opacities (4.2 million), diabetic retinopathy (3.9 million) and trachoma (2 million). and near vision disorders due to untreated presbyopia (826 million) (1). Visual impairment significantly affects the quality of life of the adult population. Adults with visual impairments often have lower rates of labour force participation and productivity, and higher rates of depression and anxiety. For older adults, visual impairment can contribute to social isolation, difficulty walking, a higher risk of falls and fractures, and a greater likelihood of early entry into nursing homes. Treatment is also available for many eye conditions that usually do not cause vision problems, such as dry eyes, conjunctivitis, and blepharitis, but cause discomfort and pain. Treatment of these conditions is aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing the development of more serious diseases.
Worldwide, at least 2.2 billion people have near and distant visual impairment. In at least 1 billion cases, or nearly half, the visual impairment could have been prevented or should be treated. There are significant differences in causes between and within countries depending on the availability of eye care services, their affordability, and the population`s competence in eye care. For example, the proportion of visual impairment attributable to cataracts is higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. In high-income countries, diseases such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration are more common. If an email has not been automatically created for you, please copy and paste the following information into an email: WHO`s main areas of work and activities for the prevention of blindness are: The program begins after October 1 and continues until the end of the school year. Participants will be selected through an application process. There is a limited number of places, so please submit your applications before August 13. While many eye diseases are preventable (e.g., infections, trauma, dangerous traditional medicines, perinatal illnesses, diet-related illnesses, unsafe use, or self-administration of topical treatment), this is not possible for everyone.