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Sightsavers are supporting the World Health Organisation’s call for the distribution of free spectacles and other cheap eye healthcare solutions in a bid to help boost the global economy. 

The world economy loses billions of pounds each year as many people are unable to work due to their visual impairments, but in the majority of cases simple interventions such as an eye test or glasses would enable them to gain employment and boost their communities’ development.

Blindness and poverty

Recent research has identified a clear link between blindness and poverty, as the visually impaired are more likely to find themselves with little income and out of work. In developing countries the disabled and visually impaired are hardest hit and gaining access to the appropriate interventions can be a huge challenge. There is often a lack of eye care professionals and appropriate technologies, and when the treatments are available people struggle to afford them.

Not having the right spectacles can effectively render people blind, and can have a devastating affect on their education, family and all round quality of life. Refractive error specialist Hasan Minto, Programme Development Advisor at Sightsavers International commented: “The lack of refraction and provision of spectacles in eye care services in under-served communities has significant negative consequences in terms of lost education and employment opportunities. Sightsavers is working on the development of sustainable refractive error and optical services that will benefit such communities.”

Our work

Sightsavers can provide new glasses for as little as £1.50 per pair and last year screened over 2 million people in developing countries and provided 800,000 people with spectacles and low vision devices. Sightsavers also helped to train 60 optometrists to ensure even more people can be screened for eye problems in the future.

In addition to the 153 million people who are blind or visually impaired because they do not have glasses a further 18 million people are blind because they have not had treatment for cataract, which can be treated with a 20 minute operation that Sightsavers can provide for just £17.

Sightsavers and our partners are able to provide the services that can assist people in overcoming their visual problems and return to work and education, and hope the World Health Organisation’s call will lead to an increased global effort to combat the problem, and will lead to more success stories like some of the people we have helped.