Visual impairment is a significant health problem worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that globally about 285 million people are visually impaired, of whom 39 million are blind. It has been estimated that over 80% of global visual impairment is preventable or treatable. In spite of this, millions of people remain at risk of visual loss due to the lack of eye care services. With almost 90% of blind and visually impaired people living in low- and middle-income countries, including some of the world's poorest communities, access to eye care is often unavailable.
At the Sixty-first World Health Assembly, in order to intensify efforts towards elimination of avoidable blindness, Member States called for an action plan addressing the eye-health agenda. The WHO Secretariat developed, in consultation with Member States and international partners, the Action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. The Action plan defines five objectives, which are to be implemented during the period 2009 to 2013.
In order to strengthen the eye health and prevention of blindness programme, the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly (WHA), which took place in Geneva from 20 to 27 May 2013 endorsed a new global action plan for prevention and control of avoidable blindness "Global Action Plan 2014–2019 for universal eye health".
It urges Member States to:
- strengthen national efforts to prevent avoidable visual impairment, including blindness, through, inter alia, better integration of eye health into national health plans and health service delivery, as appropriate;
- implement the proposed actions in the global action plan 2014–2019 on universal eye health in accordance with national priorities, including universal and equitable access to services.
These objectives draw on the international experience and achievements made in the prevention of avoidable blindness over recent decades. Each objective contains specific sets of actions for WHO Member States, the Secretariat and international partners, which are intended to guide efforts towards strengthening eye care service delivery in populations through the implementation of comprehensive eye care programmes at national and subnational levels.
Related link
Draft action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment 2014–2019 | Arabic [pdf 190kb ] | French [pdf 160kb]
