Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss
Around the world,
1.1 billion
people are living with vision loss.
90%
of vision loss is in low- and middle-income countries.
90%
of all vision loss is
preventable or treatable.
Vision loss costs us all. It costs children education, adults employment and seniors independence. Vision loss costs the global economy an estimated $411 USD per year.
In countries where health care is scarce or unaffordable, losing your sight is more of a life-changing event than simply not being able to see.
Loss of sight can have devastating consequences on individuals, families, communities and entire countries.
Why is blindness and vision loss so prevalent in low- and middle-income countries? There are many causes, including poverty, inadequate access to clean water and malnutrition. In parts of the world where it’s a struggle to simply survive, many people have neither a healthy living environment nor access to affordable medical care. If living conditions threaten sight, it’s often impossible to prevent or treat vision loss. People who live in India, Africa and South America are five to 10 times more likely to go blind than those living in developed countries.
There is good news: an astonishing 90 percent of blindness can be prevented or treated.
This is what is known as avoidable blindness and vision loss. With your generous support, we can end avoidable blindness!
