A staggering 90% of all vision loss is treatable or preventable. That equates to 1 billion people on this planet, living with vision loss from avoidable causes. Nine out of ten people with vision loss live in low- and middle-income countries, and 55% are women and girls. The vast majority of people only need a small intervention, like a pair of reading glasses, to correct their vision.
Out of this 1 billion, there are 43 million people who are blind and a further 295 million living with moderate-to-severe visual impairment. Out of these, a huge 77% is completely preventable or treatable.
This means there are 33 million people who are blind and 227 million whose lives are severely affected by their vision when it could be treated or prevented.
If they had been able to access the eye care they need, like cataract surgery or a pair of glasses – the kind of care so many of us take for granted – they would be able to see clearly today.