Key facts and figures concerning blindness and sight loss
and causes of sight loss.
- There are estimated to be over 30 million blind and partially sighted persons in geographical Europe.
- An average of 1 in 30 Europeans experience sight loss. There are four times as many partially sighted persons as blind persons.
- The average unemployment rate of blind and partially sighted persons of working age is over 75 percent. More women are unemployed than men.
- Women are more at risk of becoming blind or partially sighted than men.
- Sight loss is closely related to old age. One in three senior citizens over 65 faces sight loss.
- 90 percent visually impaired persons is over the age of 65
Causes of sight loss
Some people are born with reduced sight whilst others may acquire an eye condition later in life, such as retinitis pigmentosa that deteriorates with age. Others may lose their sight in an accident, or because of a disease like diabetes or arthritis.
Age-related eye conditions are the most common cause of sight loss in Europe. Eyesight in seniors may be affected by conditions such as macular degeneration or cataracts.
In the poorer countries of the world millions of people suffer sight loss caused by preventable diseases. These types of vision loss are called ‘preventable blindness'.More information is available in the publications section