World Sight Day: Sightsavers calls for urgent action on global eye health

Sightsavers is marking World Sight Day on 14 October by highlighting that without urgent action, the number of people worldwide who are blind could reach 115 million by 2050.

Sightsavers CEO Dr Caroline Harper said: “The number of people in need of eye care worldwide, particularly in low and middle income countries, is increasing dramatically. We need to make sure everyone, everywhere can access the eye health services they need. Every single one of us has a part to play in making it happen, from governments and healthcare workers to donors and supporters.”

According to the World Health Organization, more than 2.2. billion people – a quarter of the world’s population – have a visual impairment, with four times as many people affected in low and middle income countries.

More than half of this vision loss is preventable or treatable, but a lack of quality eye care services means many people cannot access the care they need. It is estimated that globally, hundreds of billions of dollars is lost in productivity each year because of visual impairment and blindness.

Since 1950, Sightsavers has collaborated with ministries of health and partners in more than 30 countries to eliminate avoidable blindness. Find out more about Sightsavers’ work and how you can play your part this World Sight Day.