WHO offers a good starting point on 'Eye care, vision impairment and blindness'. https://www.who.int/health-topics/blindness-and-vision-loss
'Globally, at least 1 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed... Cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors are estimated to be the leading causes of vision impairment.'
In February this year we posted a news release from WHO and I present it again below. Read in full: https://www.who.int/news/item/11-02-2026-one-in-two-people-facing-catara...
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One in two people facing cataract blindness need access to life-changing surgery
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to ensure that millions of people living with cataract can access simple, sight‑restoring surgery – one of the most effective and affordable interventions to prevent avoidable blindness.
A new study published today in The Lancet Global Health highlights the scale of the challenge: nearly half of all people across the world facing cataract-related blindness still need access to surgery.
Cataract – the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness – affects more than 94 million people globally. Cataract surgery – a simple 15-minute procedure – is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight.
Over the past two decades, global coverage of cataract surgery has increased by about 15%, even as ageing populations and rising cataract cases have increased overall demand. The latest modelling predicts the coverage for cataract surgery to rise by about 8.4% for this decade. However, progress needs to accelerate sharply to meet the World Health Assembly target of a 30% increase by 2030.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, Director a.i., WHO Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. “When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”...
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This underlines the scale of the challenge and the importance of work by organisations such as HelpMeSee.
I look forward to learn more from you about the burden of cataract worldwide and in your country. Email: hifa@hifaforums.org
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org