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Sight Savers warns that global blindness is set to double by 2035

Sight Savers warns that global blindness is set to double by 2035

Published 01-29-10

Submitted by Sight Savers International

Global blindness is predicted to double in the next 25 years unless greater action is taken to tackle the problem globally warns development non-profit organization Sight Savers International. The economic cost of this blindness is immense, and developing countries could potentially achieve a boost of over $300 billion in economic productivity over the next 20 years if they adopt appropriate measures to reduce blindness according to the organization, which celebrates 60 years in operation this year.

During the last six decades Sight Savers has treated over 206.8 million people for blinding and potentially blinding conditions, and performed more than 7.1 million operations to restore sight to those living in some of the poorest and remote areas of the world. Yet much more needs to be done according to the organization.

Today there are still 45 million people in the world who are blind, yet 75% of this is preventable or curable. At the heart of the problem is a lack of trained eye health professionals such as ophthalmologists and optometrists. Currently many countries in Africa have less than one ophthalmologist per million people and general health workers at community and primary levels rarely have eye care training.

One explanation for the underlying absence of eye care professionals across the developing world is that many national governments and development partners find themselves overstretched with other health service priorities such as HIV Aids, malaria and malnutrition, making eye care services less of a priority. So despite official commitments, evidence of the scale of the problem, and the availability of cost-effective interventions, eye health can often remain low on the agenda and is often inadequately considered within health policies and budgets.

Sight Savers continues to partner with ministries of health and local not-for-profit organizations to support health systems, and encourage the development of scalable, adaptable and cost-effective eye health services. One example of government that has welcomed this partnership is in Pakistan, where Sight Savers has been working with the local government to help train over 100,000 women in primary eye care. The Lady Health Workers program sees village women go from door-to-door encouraging women to seek treatment for eye conditions and other health problems. Each Lady Health Worker visits around 200 families a month to check for diseases such as TB, malaria, malnutrition and the eye diseases that have left more than 1.5 million people blind in Pakistan.

In the last 60 years 0.5 million primary eye care workers have been trained by Sight Savers worldwide, but looking forward the not-for-profit has pledged to increase its training of eye health professionals to extend their reach to those in need of eye care.

Addressing the shortage of eye care professionals is an ambitious but necessary task and is at the heart of the organization's new strategic direction says Dr. Caroline Harper, spokesperson for Sight Savers. "It is simply not acceptable that over a billion people in the developing world still lack access to eye care professionals and eye health services. Furthermore, this shortage is a critical constraint to the meeting of the goal of Vision 2020 (1.) "“ to eradicate avoidable blindness in the next ten years.

"The only way to address this is by supporting the training of eye care workers as part of a functioning health system. Only then can Sight Savers achieve its vision of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes and where visually impaired people participate equally in society."

Sight Savers was founded in England in 1950 by Sir John Wilson with the express aim of restoring sight "“ wherever possible "“ in developing countries. Today, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary it is working with local partners in more than 30 countries, and is supporting the treatment of 3,000,000 people a year - including providing over 250,000 cataract operations. To learn more about Sight Savers history and future strategic direction visit www.sightsaversusa.org.

For further press information, photographs of Sight Savers' work including archived photographs charting Sight Savers' history over the last six decades or to talk to a spokesperson, please contact Rachel Heald on rheald@sightsavers.org.

Footnote:
(1.) Sightsavers International is a founder member of VISION 2020 - The Right to Sight, a global initiative made up of over 20 international eye care agencies, working with the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). It aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

Sight Savers International:
1. The U.S. Sight Savers International organization, established in 2000, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. It is affiliated with Sightsavers International, a group of organizations working with partners to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world.
2. Sightsavers International is a registered UK charity (Registered charity numbers 207544 and SC038110).
3. There are 45 million blind people in the world; 75% of all blindness can be prevented or cured.
4. Every sixty seconds another child loses their sight; only 2% of children who are disabled in the developing world attend school.
5. 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of Sightsavers International, originally called the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, which was founded in 1950 by the late Sir John Wilson.
6. In the six decades since its foundation, Sightsavers International has:

    -Treated over 206.8 million people for blinding and potentially blinding conditions
    -Carried out over 7.1 million operations to restore sight
    -Trained almost 0.5 million primary eye care workers
    -Carried out rehabilitation training to 91,000 people

Sight Savers International

Sight Savers International

Sight Savers is an international nonprofit working in some of the poorest countries in the world to restore the sight of blind people, provide medical care to prevent blindness, and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.

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