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Women wash clothes in a river where the fly that carries river blindness breeds ©Kate Holt/Sightsavers.

Women wash clothes in a river where the fly that carries river blindness breeds ©Kate Holt/Sightsavers.

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River blindness

Sightsavers works with communities and partners in developing countries to eliminate avoidable blindness, including the devastating blinding disease, river blindness. We believe that no-one should go blind unnecessarily and are striving to develop and support interventions that prevent, treat and cure avoidable blindness and promote eye health.

For over 60 years, Sightsavers has been at the forefront of the mission to eliminate River blindness in Africa. Our founder, Sir John Wilson, himself blind, first noted the devastating effects of river blindness on a visit to Ghana in 1947. He went on to fund the very first trip to investigate the nature and scale of the disease just five years later.  

River blindness has continued to blight lives in countries across Africa, with more than 300,000 people having already lost their sight. Globally it is estimated that 120 million people are at risk from river blindness with 35 million people already infected. Cases overwhelmingly occur in Africa (99%) with over 30 endemic countries on the continent.

But change is within our grasp. We believe it is possible to eliminate transmission of river blindness within the next ten years. This is an enormous task, but it is possible and that gives us hope. 

What is river blindness?

River blindness (onchocerciasis) is a major cause of blindness in west and central Africa. The disease comes from a parasitical worm, onchocerca volvulus. The worm larvae are transmitted to humans via a bite from the black simulium fly, which breed in the high-oxygen water of fast-flowing rivers.  The worm larvae pass through the skin, develop into adults then breed, producing thousands more larvae which spread throughout the body - including the eyes.  


Symptoms of the disease include intense itching, the appearance of nodules on the skin, and areas of de- pigmentation which also leads to a greater risk of skin cancer. However, the biggest problem occurs when the worms die. This generates a reaction with the immune system and causes inflammation. If this happens in the eye, it can cause blindness. 

Impact of river blindness

River blindness is endemic in certain areas. This has two important social implications:

• children miss out on education because they are staying at home to act as full-time carers for older relatives who have become blind.

• people flee areas where the level of infection has hit hard, leaving 'ghost villages' behind. Unfortunately these infected areas are the ones with the most fertile land, closest to the river.

• whole communities are affected

Together, we can beat this disease and look forward to a future free from river blindness. “When you witness how this disease needlessly devastates the lives of individuals, families and whole communities you have to believe that it could, and should, be consigned to medical history. Helping rid Africa of this parasitic disease would not just eliminate one of the NTDs (Neglected tropical diseases) but it would alleviate the impact of blindness in Africa by reducing those needlessly blinded by this disease, removing a serious obstacle to socio-economic development across the continent. Treating (and ultimately eliminating) such diseases is a clear way to help alleviate poverty in some of the world’s poorest communities – so let’s make this our aim”. Simon Bush, Director NTD’s, Sightsavers.

Further reading – Controlling river blindness