World Sight Day organizers say 27 million more blind by 2020

TORONTO, October 11 — With the world’s blind expected to climb to 72 million by 2020, organizers of this year’s World Sight Day are asking for greater support in combating the tragedy of avoidable blindness. At the same time, efforts must not be relaxed to help the 45 million already blind — both overseas and in Canada — they say.

Ironically, in some instances the cost-efficiency of treatment in developing countries, where 90 per cent of the world’s blind live, far outstrips that in the developed world. Cataracts are routinely removed in overseas field hospitals for less than CDN $30, according to Christian Blind Mission International, ORBIS Canada and The Canadian National Institute for the Blind, organizers of Canada’s World Sight Day efforts. In Canada, a similar amount wouldn’t even cover hospital administration costs for admission, they point out.

"Eighty per cent of the world’s blindness is avoidable – either preventable or curable," said Dr. Allen Foster of the London School Of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Vice-Chair of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. "We know the causes, we have the cures, we know what steps to take," said Foster, "what we need are the resources to ensure that blindness treatment and prevention are included as part of national health programs."

In Canada, the leading causes of blindness – macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts – are all age related. As the Canadian population ages, there will be a higher demand for resources to meet needs of blind, visually impaired and deafblind Canadians, warns the CNIB. Instances of vision loss are on the rise in Canada, yet there are fewer and fewer trained professionals, and waiting lists for treatment are getting longer, the CNIB says.

While Canada’s population is currently served by a dwindling one ophthalmologist to every 24,000 Canadians, people in developing countries queue with one million others for similar care. Yet in spite of the scarcity of trained specialists, overseas field workers treat for cataracts and three other blindness-related conditions with impressive results: Vitamin A deficiency blinds hundreds of thousands of children per year, yet is totally avoidable with three vitamin A capsules per year from ages one to six. The program cost of $.60 per child per year is solely distribution, thanks to donated vitamin A.

River Blindness, caused by a parasitic worm spread by black flies that breed along fast flowing rivers, can be prevented for as little as $.50 per person. MectizanÔ , a donated tablet from Merck, can treat the infection and prevent blindness if taken once every year. International efforts, lead by the World Health Organization (WHO), aim to eliminate River Blindness as a cause of blindness within the next 10 years. Already 500,000 people have gone blind from this parasite, but with treatment the 17 million people currently infected can be treated and blindness prevented. The cost of the treatment program is again solely that of distribution.

Trachoma is an infectious eye disease that causes the eyelashes to turn inwards and gradually scar the cornea. More than 10 million people are in urgent need of eyelid surgery for correction of this painful condition; and another 146 million — at least 75 per cent of whom are children — have the infection and need antibiotic treatment to prevent further spread. Tetracycline ointment or azithromycin tablets can overcome the infection and prevent spread to other family members. Also, frequent face cleaning and good hygiene and sanitation are essential if the disease is to be permanently eliminated as a cause of blindness, another goal of the WHO.

According to the WHO, in addition to the world’s 45 million blind, another 135 million suffer low vision. Although a personal tragedy in developing nations, blindness and low vision can also spell economic disaster for the entire family and even community, said Foster.

"Men have difficulty obtaining any work once their vision begins to fail and mothers have problems cooking for their family and providing for their children," Foster said. "The sighted children may be needed to escort the blind adults around the village and therefore miss the opportunity of school and education.

"Poverty prevents people from getting treatment for their eye diseases — the resulting visual loss and blindness lead to greater poverty, creating a vicious cycle."

World wide, the economic cost of blindness and low vision is estimated by the VISION 2020: THE RIGHT TO SIGHT programme to be US $25 billion, a toll that the World Health Organization is aiming to stem through its partnership with non-governmental organizations in the VISION 2020 coalition. A major objective of VISION 2020 is to prevent the world’s blind from swelling from its present level of 45 million to the projected total of 72 million – a level that will result if further efforts are not made, says the WHO.

All three of Canada’s World Sight Day organizers support the goals of the WHO through ongoing programs. Christian Blind Mission International provides funds and personnel towards more than 1,000 ongoing projects in over 100 countries with the aim of restoring and saving sight and enabling those who are permanently disabled. ORBIS operates the world’s only flying eye hospital — a fully equipped teaching facility, built inside a DC-10 aircraft that flies to developing countries to save sight through hands-on training, public health education and improved access to eye care. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind provides Canadians who are blind, visually impaired and deafblind with a variety of services including orientation and mobility training, vision rehabilitation, technical aids, counselling and referral, and career development and employment.

- 30 –