NEWS > WHO New Statistics Released
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New Blindness Data Released Recently released World Health Organization (WHO) data indicate that prevalence of visual impairment has been significantly reduced to 285 million. Of these, 246 million have moderate to severe visual impairment, while an estimated 39 million are blind. This reduction reflects the investment of governments and their international development partners in improving eye health services and strategies. Socioeconomic developments have also contributed in many countries to these welcome trends. Key Global Facts:
Challenges remain to achieve the VISION 2020 goal of eliminating the main causes of avoidable blindness by the year 2020. The top three causes of blindness in the 2010 estimates are cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. This highlights the recent trend towards a decline in infectious diseases, while chronic diseases, which affect both the developed and the developing world, are rising steeply. Note: While the new data clearly indicate reduced prevalence, no direct comparison can be made with previous data as the methodology to estimate the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness is different from the one used in previous studies. VISION 2020 MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DOWNLOAD, ADAPT AND CIRCULATE THE IAPB PRESS RELEASE TO LOCAL MEDIA: IAPB Press Release on WHO data Read More: Please visit the WHO PBD website to access the new data and for prevalence in the six WHO regions. Global Facts: Please visit the Global Facts section of the VISION 2020 website for the latest official global data. |
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