ICO Leader Letter:
The Extent and Cost of Vision Loss

November 2006, Volume 3, Number 11

In This Issue:

1. The Extent of Visual Disability and Benefits of Prevention (Bruce Spivey, MD)

2. WHO Reports 153 Million Have Uncorrected Refractive Errors (Nag Rao, MD)

3. Jackson Lecture Quantifies the Benefits of Eye Care (Bruce Spivey, MD)

4. Data on the Costs of Visual Loss and Benefits of Prevention (Hugh Taylor, MD)

5. More Economic Data in VISION 2020 Booklet (Hugh Taylor, MD)

6. American Academy Recognizes International Service (Jean-Jacques De Laey, MD)

7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings

8. Coming in the December ICO Leader Letter

9. More News

10. Request for other News and Resources

11. Comments, Change of Address, Privacy Policy, Subscribe and Unsubscribe

1. The Extent of Visual Disability and Benefits of Prevention

Bruce Spivey, MD

There are also reports from the recent joint American Academy of Ophthalmology/Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO/APAO) meeting in Las Vegas, which had a distinctly international focus.

During the joint meeting, ICO leaders met with our counterparts from the American Academy to explore how we might work together to enhance ophthalmic education around the world. We hope to have more specifics to report to you in the future.

- Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

2. WHO Reports 153 Million Have Uncorrected Refractive Errors

Nag Rao, MD

On World Sight Day 2006, October 12, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new estimates that 153 million people around the world have uncorrected refractive errors. That includes at least 13 million children (age 5 to 15) and 45 million working age adults (age 16 to 49).

WHO estimates that 90 percent of those with uncorrected refractive errors live in low- and middle-income countries, where they lack access to eye testing, glasses and contact lens, with severe personal, social and economic consequences.

"Now that we know the extent of the problem of uncorrected refractive errors, especially in low and middle income countries, we must re-double our efforts to ensure that every person who needs help is able to receive it," said Serge Resnikoff, MD, Coordinator of WHO's Chronic Disease Prevention and Management unit.

Adding these new figures to the previous WHO estimate of 161 million people who suffer from significant vision loss as a result of disease, WHO now estimates that 314 million people around the world are visually impaired.

For the WHO news release on uncorrected refractive error, see: www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr55/en/index.html.

- Nag Rao, MD, Council Member and President of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

3. Jackson Lecture Quantifies the Benefits of Eye Care

Hugh Taylor, MD

Invited to deliver the prestigious Jackson Memorial Lecture during the Opening Ceremonies of the joint meeting, ICO Director for Advocacy Hugh Taylor, MD, spoke on "Eye Care: Dollars and Sense."

Presenting data mostly from studies in Australia, Dr. Taylor made a persuasive case for increasing funding for eye care. Among his findings:

• Vision loss ranks seventh as a cause of loss of well-being
• Slowing the progression of macular degeneration by just 10 percent would save an average of $250 million a year in Australia for the next 20 years
• For each dollar spent on prevention of vision loss and eye care, there is a five dollar return to the community.

"We now have the information that is required to place the needs for eye care in perspective and to compare it with other health priorities," Dr. Taylor concluded. "We can quantify and rank the impact of vision loss and, of even more importance, the cost of not addressing it."

Look for the Jackson Lecture in the January issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology (www.ajo.com).

- Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

4. Data on the Costs of Visual Loss and Benefits of Prevention

Clear Insight

Data on the impact of vision loss and economic benefits of prevention can be highly persuasive in efforts to convince governments to allocate more resources to eye care. Based partly on the studies reported in the Jackson Lecture (see above), the Australian government in 2005 adopted a national plan for eye health and this May committed $14 million to eye health promotion.

Much of the data is contained in three reports from the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) that can be downloaded from the CERA Web site:

• Clear Insight: The Economic Impact and Cost of Vision Loss in Australia (2004 - cera.unimelb.edu.au/publications/clear_insight.html)
• Investing in Sight: Strategic Interventions to Prevent Vision Loss in Australia (2005 - cera.unimelb.edu.au/publications/invest_sight.html)
• Centrally Focussed: The Impact of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (2006 - cera.unimelb.edu.au/publications/cent_focus.html)

The ICO would be interested to learn about similar studies in other countries. You can contact me at advocacy@icoph.org.

- Hugh Taylor, MD, ICO Director for Advocacy

5. More Economic Data in VISION 2020 Booklet

There is more persuasive information on the impact of vision loss and benefits of eye care in a new booklet published by VISION 2020: The Right To Sight.

The 12-page "Blindness, Poverty and Development: The Impact of VISION 2020 on the U.N. Millenium Development Goals" was designed for use with those who influence and set health policy.

Among the data and projections the booklet cites:

• In 1997 in India, the economic burden of blindness was estimated at $US 4.4 million or 1.45 percent of the Gross National Product (GNP) that year
• If India invested $US .15 billion to treat cataract surgery, one study reported, it would save $US 1.1 billion in the annual GNP
• A successful VISION 2020 initiative would reduce the projected number of blind people in the year 2020 from 75 million to 24 million
• If VISION 2020 goals are achieved, this could result in global savings of $US 223 billion over 20 years.

"Investments in avoidable blindness and visual impairment yield high levels of economic and social returns," the booklet concludes, "while dramatically improving the quality of life of individuals and families."

You can download the "Blindness, Poverty and Development" booklet from: www.v2020.org/news.asp?section=000100010010&articleid=132.

- Hugh Taylor, MD, ICO Director for Advocacy

6. American Academy Recognizes International Service

Jean-Jacques De Laey, MD

Also at the Opening Ceremonies in Las Vegas, the American Academy of Ophthalmology honored IAPB President Nag Rao, MD with its International Prevention of Blindness Award.

The Academy presented Outstanding Humanitarian Service Awards to:

• Ghulamquadir A. Kazi, MBBS, founder of the Isra Blindness Control Program in Pakistan, for work with underserved populations
• C. Downey Price, MD, for leading medical missions in Haiti, Belize, Bolivia and other countries since 1974.

Honored with Special Recognition Awards from the Academy were:

• Former APAO Secretary General and Council Member Arthur S. M. Lim, MD, FRCS, of Singapore, for his many contributions to ophthalmology
• Lorraine Marchi, PhD, founder of the National Association for Visually Handicapped, as a worldwide leader and innovator in low vision.

- Jean-Jacques De Laey, MD, ICO Secretary General

7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC)

• International Council of Ophthalmology: March 23, 2007, Cape Town, South Africa
• WOC: June 28 - July 2, 2008 in Hong Kong (www.woc2008hongkong.org)
• IFOS General Assembly: June 28 or 29, 2008, during during the World Ophthalmology Congress in Hong Kong

Other future ICO/IFOS Meetings: www.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html.

8. Coming in the December ICO Leader Letter:

Supranational Congresses in 2007

9. More News

For more news of the ICO and international ophthalmology and resources for ophthalmologic leaders, see the ICO's Eye Site at www.icoph.org.

10. Request for Other News and Resources

Do you have other news of international ophthalmology or know resources (particularly on the Web) that would be valuable to society leaders? Please let us know at leader@icoph.org.

11. Comments, Change of Address, Privacy Policy, Subscribe and Unsubscribe

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