an eye for an eye and the world goes blind

'We hope to take these findings and create implementable strategies with our global partners through our Kellogg Eye Center for International Ophthalmology so fewer people go blind unnecessarily.' 'Working as a global eye care community, we need to now look at the next 30 years,' Ehrlich says. 'As diabetes becomes more common across the globe, this condition may begin to affect younger populations, as well.' Robin, M.D., a collaborating ophthalmologist at Kellogg Eye Center and professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'This is another condition in which we can prevent vision loss with early screenings and intervention,' says study author Alan L. This largest contributor to moderate or severely impaired vision can be easily treated with glasses.Īlso important, vision impairment due to diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that affects eyesight, was found to have increased in global prevalence. Refractive error, which causes a blurred image resulting from an abnormal shape of the cornea and lens not bending light correctly, accounted for vision loss in 86 million people across the globe. Approximately 45% of the 33.6 million cases of global blindness were caused by cataracts, which can be treated with surgery. In fact, the researchers found that there wasn't any significant reduction in the number of people with treatable vision loss in the last ten years, which paled in comparison to the World Health Assembly Global Action Plan target of a 25% global reduction of avoidable vision loss in this same time frame.Īlthough findings varied by region globally, cataracts and the unmet need for glasses were the most prevalent causes of moderate to severe vision impairment. 'However, as populations age, a larger number of people are being affected by serious vision impairment, suggesting we need to improve accessibility to care and further develop human resources to provide care.' Del Monte, M.D., a pediatric ophthalmologist at Kellogg Eye Center.

'We found that the age-standardized prevalence is decreasing around the world, which tells us eye care systems and quality of care are getting better,' says study author Monte A. To address this issue, the study looked at age-standardized prevalence, accomplished by adjusting regional populations to fit a standard age structure. A direct comparison of the percentage of the population with blindness or vision impairment wouldn't paint a complete picture' says Ehrlich, who is also a member of University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, explains. Many populations are also growing older over time. 'For example, the population in some Asian and European countries is much older on average than the population in many African nations.

An eye for an eye and the world goes blind