On the second Thursday of October, we celebrate World Sight Day, put on by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. It’s a day to raise awareness and funds for all of those dealing with vision problems and those who don’t have access to affordable or effective eye care.
Companies from all over the world are joining together to spread the word about vision health across the globe. To do our part we share some of the facts and figures of vision health from around the world:
- Approximately 285 million people worldwide live with low vision and blindness
- Of these, 39 million people are blind and 246 million have moderate or severe visual impairment
- 90% of blind people live in low-income countries
- Yet 80% of visual impairment is avoidable – i.e. readily treatable and/or preventable
- Restorations of sight, and blindness prevention strategies are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care
- The number of people blind from infectious causes has greatly reduced in the past 20 years
- An estimated 19 million children are visually impaired
- About 65 % of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises only 20% of the world’s population
- Increasing elderly populations in many countries mean that more people will be at risk of age-related visual impairment.
On this World Vision Day, and everyday of the year. We urge you to schedule your regular eye exam, because early detection and prevention are the best ways to prevent blindness.