The true value of vision

The Global Summit for Eye Health will unite hundreds of leaders to tackle one of the biggest and most solvable health challenges of our time and help unlock economic growth and prosperity.

Over 2 billion people are living with poor vision, and for 1.1 billion of these, this sight loss could have been avoided or treated. Without action, this number will rise to 1.8 billion people by 2050.

This represents a significant and rapidly growing public health challenge. But importantly, it is a challenge that can be effectively addressed as over 90% of vision impairment cases are preventable or treatable through low-cost interventions such as corrective eyewear and cataract surgery. Coordinated and concerted action to tackle the issue will also unlock huge economic and social benefits and support national productivity and global growth.

Good vision is fundamentally connected to both educational attainment and access to employment. Currently, unaddressed vision impairment is estimated to result in an annual global productivity loss of approximately USD 411 billion. In addition, an estimated 6.3 million years of schooling are lost each year, with potential future economic productivity losses projected at USD 173 billion annually. Addressing this issue presents a clear opportunity to unlock substantial productivity gains at both national and global levels.

Much progress has been made together but we need the world to recognise that this is a critical moment of jeopardy. Five years on from the UN Resolution on Vision and five years before the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, this is the time to push even harder. We have the commitment from leaders, but now is the time for action.

Almost everyone will be affected by an eye health or vision problem in their life. It is a whole-of-life issue that requires a proactive, coordinated and integrated whole-of- government response. Proven, cost-effective policy solutions are already available to support the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of eye conditions and vision impairment across all stages of life.

The Summit and its campaign will create a unifying platform to organise global efforts and drive action. This is the time and the place where leaders from government, public policy and health care will come together to forge partnerships, agree plans to deliver on commitments and set the roadmap to track progress and accountability.

The Summit, and the movement we build around the event, is vital for international cooperation on eye health and will be attended and followed by governments, scientists and activists worldwide.

Now is the time for leaders to come together and take action to unlock the potential of over a billion people globally.

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