World Sight Day: 4 things you might not know about blindness around the world

Today (8^th October) is World Sight Day, where we cast a spotlight on avoidable blindness and visual impairment and efforts to tackle it around the world.

At CBM, we’re passionate about building a world where nobody is needlessly blind and everyone can fulfil their potential. Thanks to our supporters, who share this commitment, we’re working across the world’s poorest places to prevent avoidable blindness.

Here are four facts about blindness around the world – you may find them surprising!

1) Three quarters of all blindness could be prevented or treated

Many of the leading causes of blindness, such as cataracts, glaucoma or infections like trachoma, can be treated. But too many people, especially those living in poorer parts of the world, don’t have access to the eye health services that could save or restore their sight.

At CBM, we believe that nobody should needlessly lose their sight. With your help, we fund treatments, train eye-health workers, equip eye hospitals and support screening and outreach programmes to prevent avoidable blindness in the world’s poorest places.

Last year, we delivered eye-health services to over 7.6 million people.

2) It can cost as little as £24 to restore someone’s sight!

Cataracts cause about half of all blindness across the world. The condition causes the lens of the eye becomes cloudy and, if not treated, leads to total sight loss.

But cataracts can be removed with a straightforward operation costing as little as £24! For a child, the surgery costs around £95, as they need a general anaesthetic to make sure they stay completely still. But the impact lasts a lifetime.

Peter (pictured) had successful sight-restoring cataract surgery. After his bandages were removed and he could see again, he said: “I am happy! When I am back at home I can do everything again.”

Last year, CBM and our partners performed over 589,063 sight-restoring cataract surgeries.

3) 800 million people don’t have the glasses they need

If you wear glasses or contact lenses, take a moment to imagine life without them. What would you struggle to do?

An estimated 800 million people worldwide don’t have access to the glasses they need. For children, it often means falling behind at school if they can’t read the blackboard. Adults might struggle to work, read or get around safely.

It’s amazing the difference a simple pair of glasses can make! And for those with very low vision, simple tools like magnifiers and white canes can mean being able to read, or get around independently.

Thanks to your support, last year CBM and our partners distributed more than 517,808 glasses and low-vision devices across the world’s poorest communities.

4) Together, we’re on track to eliminate blinding diseases like trachoma

Trachoma is a painful, blinding eye infection that mostly affects the poorest communities. Where families live in crowded conditions, without access to clean water, it spreads rapidly. If not treated, sufferers experience agonising pain in their eyes and eventually lose their sight.

But together, we can eliminate this devastating disease.

Thanks to your support, for decades CBM has been working in collaboration with at-risk communities, other organisations, governments, and international bodies. And between 2002 and 2019, the number of people at-risk of trachoma fell by 91%, from 1.5 billion to just over 142 million!

In ten countries where Trachoma was prevalent, the disease has already been eliminated as a public health threat, including Cambodia, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco and Nepal.

With your help, CBM continues to work to finally rid the world of this painful, blinding infection.

Thanks to our supporters, we are building a world where nobody is needlessly blind.

• This World Sight Day, CBM is inviting churches and groups to come together, over a cuppa, to learn about low vision in the poorest parts of the world. Find out more about Christian Blind Mission Sunday.
• Read more about our work preventing and restoring sight in the world’s poorest places.

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Images – 1st: Charlotte was identified by CBM’s glaucoma screening camp and was prescribed glasses. 2nd: Cathleen (3) at the CBM-supported hospital in Tanzania getting a visual acuity test. 3rd: Peter (50) is happy following cataract surgery at CBM-supported hospital in Tanzania. 4th: Rabya (7) is wearing her glasses as she waits for examination 5th: Gizachew Abebe (52, red shirt) is an ophthalmic male nurse and community worker of CBM’s partner in Ethiopia. He identifies people with Active Trachoma. Asgedech and her grandchildren were identifies as part of this programme.