Preservation and Restoration of Vision:

Data on the Loss of Vision and Blindness

On this page:3

• The devastating impact of loss of vision
  
  
• More data on blindness, visual disability and their causes

The devastating impact of loss of vision

Every five seconds, one person in the world goes blind.

A child goes blind every minute.

There are 45 million people who are blind in the world.

There are 135 million more with significant loss of vision.

Eighty percent of blindness is avoidable: 20 percent preventable and 60 percent treatable.

Yet the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of blind and visually impaired will double from 180 million to 360 million by 2020 unless concerted action is taken.

Ninety percent of the world's blind people live in developing countries, nine million in India, seven million in Africa and six million in China.

More data on blindness, visual disability and their causes from WHO

• Blindness and visual disability: general information
  
  
• Blindness: major causes worldwide
  
  
• Blindness: other leading causes worldwide
  
  
• Blindness: socioeconomic aspects
  
  
• Blindness: projections into the next century

Next: How Ophthalmologic Societies Can Participate

Also see:

• Research Agenda for Global Blindness Prevention
  
  
• VISION 2020: The Right to Sight
  
  
• International ophthalmology's Vision for the Future