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What is Avoidable Blindness?
Up to 80% of the world's blindess is avoidable.
Avoidable blindness is defined as blindness which could be either treated or prevented by known, cost-effective means. Although there are many other causes of vision impairment, VISION 2020 seeks to address the main causes of avoidable blindness, in order to have the greatest possible impact on vision loss worldwide.
Up to 90% of avoidable blindness occurs in the developing world.
What is Uncorrected Refractive Error?
Refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, presbyopia) result in an unfocussed image falling on the retina. Uncorrected refractive errors, which affect persons of all ages and ethnic groups, are the main cause of vision impairment. They may result in lost education and employment opportunities, lower productivity and impaired quality of life.
Services should focus on children, the poor and adults over the age of 50 years, and the correction provided must be affordable, of good quality and culturally acceptable. Services for refractive errors should be integrated at all levels of eye-care provision, including outreach. Assessment of individuals who have refractive errors, particularly those aged 50 years or above, provides an opportunity for identifying other potentially blinding conditions before they cause visual loss (such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy)