Blindness is a major public health issue, both in India and across the world. It is estimated that 1.1 billion people globally live with a vision impairment and that 90 percent of these are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. For instance, India is home to more than 137 million people who have near vision loss and 79 million who suffer from impairment. According to the National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey 2015-19, cataract (71 percent) and refractive error (13.4 percent) were the major causes of visual impairment among those above the age of 50 years. Cataract, a form of age-related vision loss, is responsible for nearly 51 percent of blindness globally, as per the World report on vision by the World Health Organization (WHO).

At least 771 million people across the world have vision loss that could be avoided.

While these numbers are huge and startling, it is also critical to note that 90 percent of vision loss is avoidable and at least 771 million people across the world have vision loss that could be avoided. According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, an investment of USD 2.20 per person per year between 2011 and 2020 in low- and middle-income countries could have eliminated avoidable blindness. This is because presbyopia or near vision loss ie, the inability to see or focus on nearby objects, is experienced by many people around their mid-40s and this continues to advance with age. People with such a condition can easily correct their vision with a pair of spectacles or lenses and those who can afford the expenses, can opt for laser surgery or other refractive surgery procedures.

Read the full article about the link between blindness and poverty by Elizabeth Kurian and Shrikant Ayyangar at India Development Review.