The European Coalition for Vision (ECV) alerts us to two important documents:
- the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Vision Atlas on 24 February – this compares vision loss and population data between regions - including Western, Central and Eastern Europe
- the Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020 The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020 on 16 February.
Despite significant progress made by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the World Health Organization and others, the report clearly demonstrates the mountain still to climb in preventing and tackling visual impairment globally. This includes Europe where inequalities persist in health literacy about eyes and vision, access to eye care services and inclusion and life chances for visually impaired people.
Professor Rupert Bourne ECV member and co-author of the report said: “We estimate that 21 million people in Western and Central Europe are blind, severely or moderately vision impaired and that 77% of this burden is due to preventable causes such as uncorrected refractive error and cataract.”
Fellow ECV member and co-author, Professor Tunde Peto, stresses the needs of people with diabetic retinopathy, adding: “These alarming figures further support the World Health Assembly resolution to implement the recommendations of the WHO World Report on Vision for people-centred eye care in every country’s health system.”
David Hewlett ECV President added: “This report should give everyone in Europe renewed energy to press on and make avoidable visual impairment and exclusion of visually impaired people, part of history. The ECV’s ten-year campaign to eliminate inequalities between and within European countries supports this aim.
The ECV also commented on social media here.