Vision impairment and blindness impact the life of people everywhere. In low- and middle-income settings the burden of vision impairment can be even greater due to fewer opportunities to access the most essential eye care services.
Eye care, vision impairment and blindness programme Eye conditions are remarkably common and many eye conditions can lead to vision impairment, including blindness. Those who live long enough will experience at least one eye condition during their lifetime. Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment.
In the Western Pacific Region, over 90 million people experience visual impairment, including 10 million that are blind. Blindness can be avoided in 8 out of 10 cases with appropriate treatment or early prevention.
La rubrique "Principaux repères" de l'OMS sur la cécité et la déficience visuelle fournit des faits, des définitions, les causes, ainsi que des informations sur les personnes à risque et sur l'action menée à l'échelle mondiale et par l'OMS dans ce domaine.
At present at least 2.2 billion people around the world have a vision impairment, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. The world faces considerable challenges in terms of eye care, including inequalities in the coverage and quality of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services; a shortage of trained eye care ...
Night blindness (in which it is difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light) is one of the clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency, and is common during pregnancy in developing countries. Retinol is the main circulating form of vitamin A in blood and plasma.
Onchocerciasis – or “river blindness” – is a parasitic disease caused by the filarial worm Onchocerca volvulus transmitted by repeated bites of infected blackflies (Simulium spp.). These blackflies breed along fast-flowing rivers and streams, close to remote villages located near fertile land where people rely on agriculture.
