Historically, vision impairment was understood to be a treatable medical problem or health condition. This meant the majority of eye health programs had a focus on prevention and cure for various conditions, especially blinding diseases. We now know that vision impairment has more than a physical impact and can lead to social exclusion and inequality.
CBM’s inclusive eye health programs, therefore, considers the needs of people holistically, with both their need for quality eye health services and social support.
Cataract Facts Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, responsible for just over half [51%] the cases of blindness around the world. That’s around 20 million people – the majority of them living in developing countries. A cataract is the milky clouding of the eye lens. Cataracts can occur in one or both eyes. Trying
According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), by the year 2050 it is expected that nearly 50% of the global population will be myopic (nearsighted). According to the IAPB, myopia is due to a mismatch between the eyeball length and its optical power. This results in the lens of the eye
Established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in 2000, World Sight Day is a global event created to draw attention to vision impairment and blindness. This year’s focus is Vision 2020: The Right to Sight. According to IAPB approximately 1.3 billion people globally live with some
CBM has a long and inspiring history of working to prevent blindness and support those with vision loss. From humble beginnings when a German Pastor, Ernst Christoffel, was moved by extreme poverty to create a global force for change and reach people in need on four continents, CBM has helped to bring hope and end
Author: David Lewis OAM, CBM Focal Point for ‘Inclusion in Eye Health’ and ‘Environmental Sustainability’ The ‘Vision 2020: The Right to Sight’ global initiative was launched in 1999 to promote and develop global momentum to reduce avoidable blindness. The governments of 195 countries have signed the Vision 2020 declaration showing their support for its objectives.
At CBM, Inclusive Eye Health means ensuring eye health programmes are accessible and open to all members of the community, including people with disability and others who are marginalised and socially excluded. It also includes proactively ensuring that people with long term vision impairment access their right to wider opportunities to health, education and livelihoods
