A landmark World Health Organization report reveals that 2.2 billion people – nearly one in four globally – live with vision impairment or blindness. At least half of these cases could have been prevented or successfully treated.
The WHO's first World Report on Vision paints a stark picture: conditions like myopia, presbyopia, glaucoma, and cataracts affect billions, with rural residents in low-income countries, the elderly, women, people with disabilities, and indigenous populations facing unmet needs up to four times higher than in wealthier regions.
Experts attribute this crisis primarily to population aging and, critically, lack of access to affordable eye care services.
"Eye conditions are all too common and often go untreated," says WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "People needing eye care deserve quality interventions without financial hardship. Integrating eye care into national health plans is key to universal health coverage."
The report calls it "unacceptable" that 65 million people endure blindness or severe vision loss when simple cataract surgery could restore their sight overnight. It also highlights that 800 million people worldwide still cannot afford glasses.
Just over $14 billion in investment could address vision needs for 1 billion people with untreated impairments, the authors estimate.
Recommendations include encouraging more outdoor time to combat myopia in children and intensifying efforts against type 2 diabetes, which can cause diabetic retinopathy if undetected.
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