Blindness
A visually impaired Brazilian boy writing Braille. © CBM.
37 million people worldwide are blind and 90% of those people are living in developing countries.
The Causes of Avoidable Blindness
Cataract
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world. However, almost half of the blind population - around 17 million people – could be cured through a simple 15-minute operation that costs CBM just £20 to administer to each person.
River Blindness
More than half a million people are blind due to the disease River Blindness, which preys on people as they travel to the banks of rivers. This is where the black fly carrier literally bites them to blindness. An estimated 17 million people are infected with the disease.
Trachoma
Nearly six million people have lost their sight due to the terrible eye infection Trachoma. More than 145 million people have trachoma and roughly 11 million people are in danger of going blind from repeated infections unless they receive help.
Vitamin A Deficiency
Tragically, 1.5 million children in the world are blind and another 500,000 go blind every year. More than 50% of blind children die within two years of losing their sight. Yet nearly half of all blind children lose their sight because of Vitamin A Deficiency, which can be easily prevented with supplements costing just pennies.
Ninety per cent of all blind children have no opportunity to attend school, and 80 per cent of adults who are blind cannot work because of a lack of training facilities. They require extensive rehabilitation if they are to have any chance of leading a full and happy life. Much of the world's blindness could be eliminated through prevention programs.
Up to 80% of all blindness is avoidable. With your help CBM can provide the solution.