Report calls for governments to commit to eye health

A new report has illustrated how simple eye health interventions in low and middle income countries (LMICs) could see nearly $450bn returned to the economy annually.

The Value of Vision: The case for investing in eye health report was published by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Seva Foundation, and Fred Hollows Foundation.

With nearly one billion people in LMICs living with avoidable sight loss, the report lays out six priority areas for governments to prevent avoidable sight loss, including early detection through screenings in the community, and providing reading glasses on the spot, if necessary, after screenings.

The report encourages increasing capacity in the workforce by investing in training and technology, boosting surgical productivity and teams, removing barriers to access like cost, distance, and stigma, and improving cataract surgery with training techniques, wider use of biometry, and stronger minimum post-op care standards.

Delivering on the six priority health areas could see a $28 return for every $1 invested, the report identified, placing eye health alongside nutrition as one of the most cost-effective opportunities to boost global development.

Jack Hennessy, senior health economist at The Fred Hollows Foundation, suggested eye health interventions “consistently rank among the most cost-effective in the world,” adding: “Our research provides a roadmap of low-cost, actionable interventions for governments and donors to invest in over the next five years to realise the enormous health, social, and economic benefits to restoring sight.”

The report suggests a $7.1 billion investment in these priorities would recoup $199 billion by 2030, and building on this foundation beyond this date could unlock $447 billion every year.

The charities suggest this would generate annual benefits equivalent to 13 million extra years of schooling, 22 million more people employed, and 304 million people relieved of unpaid caregiving.

Brad Wong, chief economist at Seva Foundation, also commented: “Our analysis shows that investing in eye health is not only transformative for individuals, but also one of the smartest economic decisions governments can make.”

“Simple, proven interventions like school screenings, cataract surgery, and ready-made reading glasses deliver outsized returns,” he added.

Improved sight also translates into increased participation in the labour force, higher educational attainment, and worker productivity, the analysis showed.

“By 2030, these measures could return hundreds of billions to the global economy each year. The evidence is clear: eye health is no longer a peripheral issue. It is central to driving sustainable growth,” Wong said.

Peter Holland, CEO of IAPB, said: “Eye health is one of the most powerful ways governments can build stronger economies. But we know there are significant barriers to overcome.”

“We must tackle the stigma around glasses and sight loss that prevents people from seeking help. Eye health has also been siloed from wider healthcare, with fragmented systems and a workforce that, in many places, can’t meet the demand,” he added.

Holland emphasised that practical, affordable solutions are available, calling for cross-sector working in order to “integrate eye care into national health, social and economic systems and make it accessible and affordable for all.”

The report was unveiled ahead of a meeting hosted at the United Nations General Assembly by IAPB and The United Nations Friends of Vision Group, which brought together global leaders across member states, civil society, and non-governmental organisations to discuss the role of preventing avoidable sight loss in achieving the sustainable development goals.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda announced that the Caribbean nation will host the first Global Summit on Eye Health in 2026.

Browne commented that failures in eye health care “is not only a human tragedy, it is an economic one,” adding: “It is the waste of billions of lives’ worth of untapped potential. The case for action is not only moral, it is also economic. There are opportunities for growth, for development, and for dignity.”

It was also revealed that Bloomberg Philanthropies has committed $75 million over the next two years to advance eye health globally, scaling interventions, and expanding access to eye care.

Pictured: Michael Ankomanyi