World Sight Day 2010 reveals successes of the last 10 years and challenges for
the next 10 years in tackling global blindness


10% decrease in worldwide blindness and visual impairment
Chronic conditions to take over infectious eye diseases as primary cause of blindness

Impact to be felt in developed as well as developing countries
According to new preliminary data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide, 285.3
million people are visually impaired. In the past 10 years, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight (a joint global
initiative of the International Agency for the Prevention for Blindness (IAPB) and WHO) has contributed to a
10% reduction in the number of visually impaired people worldwide, which was announced at a meeting
hosted by the WHO in Geneva earlier this week, as part of World Sight Day activities. All the more
impressive is that this is set against a growing global population and an 18% increase in the world’s
population aged over 50, the population most vulnerable to visual impairment. The number of blind people
has decreased by 5.2 million (from 45 million in 2004 to 39.8 million in the present day), representing a
decline of 13% in the last six years.i
While the new figures represent a significant achievement, challenges remain if VISION 2020 is to achieve
its goal of eliminating the main causes of avoidable blindness by the year 2020. Among these are that nearly
half of the cases of visual impairment are due to uncorrected refractive errors (such as nearsightedness), in
most of which cases normal vision could be restored with eye glasses. While blinding infectious diseases
such as trachoma (a persistent, contagious form of conjunctivitis) and onchocerciasis (river blindness) are on
target for global elimination of transmission by 2020ii, chronic causes of blindness, such as cataract, age
related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy are growing in prevalence worldwide, even in
the developed world. This highlights the modern trend whereby infectious diseases are decreasing as a
result of public health interventions, while chronic diseases, which affect both the developed and the
developing world are on the rise.
These new data and the changing dynamic they represent have been announced by VISION 2020 as part of
World Sight Day 2010, the international day of awareness to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable
blindness and visual impairment. A number of events are planned across the globe, including an IAPBhosted event at the CERN Globe of Science and Innovation in Geneva.
Bruce Spivey, MD, International Council of Ophthalmology President, today commented on current blindness
trends saying, “The greatest challenges facing VISION 2020 and its supporters in the next 10 years are
chronic conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age related macular degeneration, which are increasing
not only in developing countries, but all over the world, with further rapid increase expected as populations
age and lifestyles change.”
This year marks the midpoint of the VISION 2020 commitment to eliminate the main causes of avoidable
blindness by 2020. In the past 10 years, thanks to VISION 2020 efforts, all WHO member states have made
formal commitments to investing in eye care, two World Health Assembly resolutions have urged all WHO
member states to develop and implement VISION 2020 national plans and more than 100 countries have
drafted national eye care plans.
Although several programmes have been implemented to tackle chronic causes of blindness, further
awareness, resources and preventative measures are still needed in both developed and developing
countries across the globe. This will be one of the main priorities for VISION 2020 over the next 10 years,
requiring the united efforts of NGOs, development agencies and eye care professionals worldwide.
Notes to Editors:
About World Sight Day (WSD)
World Sight Day is an international day of awareness held annually on the second Thursday of October, to
focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
Included on the official WHO calendar, WSD is co-ordinated by the IAPB under the VISION 2020 global
initiative.
All WSD events are organised independently by IAPB members and supporting organisations.
WSD 2010 is set to be marked by up to 300 events in over 50 countries around the world. The focal event –
‘Countdown to 2020’ – was held on 11 October in Geneva.
About VISION 2020: The Right to Sight
VISION 2020: The Right to Sight is the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness and a joint
programme of the WHO and the IAPB. It was launched in 1999 and has an international membership of
NGOs, professional associations, eye care institutions and corporations.
VISION 2020, through the WHO, IAPB and its member organisations, provides technical support and
advocacy to prevention of blindness activities worldwide. At the national level, a strong partnership between
www.v2020.org/wsd10
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Registered Office: London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7927 2973 Fax: +44 (0)20 7958 8325 E-mail: office@v2020.org Web: www.VISION2020.org
Registered Charity No. 1100559, Company Limited by Guarantee N: 4620869, Registered in England and Wales
Ministry of Health, national and international NGOs, professional organisations, and civil society groups –
brought together in a national prevention of blindness or VISION 2020 committee – should facilitate the
development and implementation of effective and sustainable national eye care plans.
VISION 2020 seeks to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness in order to give all people in the
world, particularly the millions of needlessly blind, the right to sight.
The goal is to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. In the long term, the initiative seeks to ensure
the best possible vision for all people, thereby improving their quality of life. This goal should be achieved
through the establishment of a sustainable, comprehensive eye-care system as an integral part of every
national health system.
For more information on VISION 2020, please visit its website at: http://www.vision2020.org/main.cfm
Please see a VISION 2020 video for more information on its initiatives here:
http://www.vision2020.org/image/videos/v2020_lo_res_for_review.mov
About the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB):







The IAPB promotes the global initiative VISION 2020: The Right to Sight.
IAPB was established in 1975 as a coordinating, umbrella organisation to lead international efforts in
prevention of blindness and vision impairment activities.
IAPB’s first major achievement was to promote the establishment of a WHO programme for the
Prevention of Blindness, which is embodied in the VISION 2020 joint initiative.
IAPB now has more than 110 members, including international development NGOs, disability
organisations, global professional peak bodies, academic institutions and corporations.
IAPB’s vision is a world in which no one is needlessly blind or visually impaired and where those with
unavoidable vision loss can achieve their full potential.
IAPB’s mission is to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness and vision impairment by
bringing together governments and non-governmental agencies to facilitate the planning,
development and implementation of sustainable national eye care programmes based on the three
core strategies of disease control, human resource development and infrastructure development,
incorporating the principles of primary health care.
IAPB works to support the formation of national prevention of blindness committees and programmes,
led by governments with input from the WHO, local and international NGOs. These now exist in over
100 countries.
References:
i
WHO. Preliminary Data. October 2010.
World Health Organization. The World Health Report. Disease Trends. Accessed August 10,2010 at:
http://www.who.int/whr/1998/media_centre/executive_summary3/en/index2.html
ii
www.v2020.org/wsd10
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Registered Office: London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7927 2973 Fax: +44 (0)20 7958 8325 E-mail: office@v2020.org Web: www.VISION2020.org
Registered Charity No. 1100559, Company Limited by Guarantee N: 4620869, Registered in England and Wales