Preservation and Restoration of Vision:

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Preservation of vision headlines:

• VISION 2020 reports on the "State of the World's Sight"
  
  
• ICO symposium on managing cataract blindness
  
  
• ICO to focus on areas that lack ophthalmic services
  
  
• IFOS/ICO will serve on new IAPB Board
  
  
• Implementation of VISION 2020 moves to the national level
  
  
• Other ways societies and ophthalmologists can participate
  
  
• WHO and ICO collaborate on research, visual standards and human resources development
  
  
• The economic cost of loss of vision
  
  
• WHO studies the burden of disease
  
  
• "Infinite Vision" film about Aravind and "Dr. V"

(Also see: The Latest News of preservation of vision)

VISION 2020 reports on the "State of the World's Sight"

On World Sight Day, which was October 13 in 2005, the VISION 2020: The Right To Sight initiative issued a progress report on its first five years.

VISION 2020’s "State of the World's Sight" report reveals that, while much improvement has been made in the provision of eye health care worldwide, still 75 percent of the 161 million people living with visual impairment do so needlessly, since their conditions are preventable or treatable.

The report shows that, for the first time ever, the number of people who are blind in the world has actually decreased. In 1995 there were some 45 million people blind, and the figures were projected to increase to 55 million in 2005. In fact, World Health Organization (WHO) data show the number of blind has dropped to 37.8 million.

"But there are still 161 million people with visual impairment, and there is a global need to increase our activities under VISION 2020," according to Hugh Taylor, MD, Acting ICO Advocacy Director. Dr. Taylor makes some suggestions for how ophthalmologists and ophthalmologic societies can help in the November ICO Leader Letter.

You can download the Executive Summary (1 MB) or complete "State of the World's Sight" report (1.3 MB) from www.v2020.org/page.asp?section=000100010015.

Also see: more on World Sight Day.

ICO symposium on managing cataract blindness

Practical options for preventing or slowing the growth of cataracts are still years in the future, but there is a great deal that can be done now to treat the huge backlog of cataract blindness around the world.

That was one conclusion of the ICO Symposium on "Innovations in Managing Cataract Blindness" at the American Academy of Ophthalmology/European Society of Ophthalmology joint meeting in New Orleans in 2004.

ICO to focus on areas that lack ophthalmic services

Meeting in New Orleans in October 2004, the Council agreed with a recommendation from its Advisory Committee that the ICO focus on improving the availability of ophthalmic services in areas of the world where services are limited, in collaboration with appropriate partners.

At the IFOS meeting, Hannah Faal, MD, encouraged the ICO/IFOS to explore how it can support ophthalmologists in countries where are the too few ophthalmologists to support formation of a national society.

IFOS/ICO will serve on new IAPB Board

Gullapalli N. (Nag) Rao, MD, new president of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and member of the ICO, reported to the Council in New Orleans on the recent reorganization of the IAPB, its VII General Assembly in Dubai in September and implementation of VISION 2020.

IAPB was reorganized to align its structure with its function and to comply with requirements to be recognized as a charity within the United Kingdom, while still trying to remain inclusive, Dr. Rao said. In the new structure, members of the IAPB Council elect a Board of Trustees, which oversees IAPB operations.

IFOS/ICO, which was one of the founders of the IAPB, along with the World Blind Union, will have a permanent position on the Board, Dr. Rao reported.

Implementation of VISION 2020 moves to the national level

Dr. Rao also reported to the Coucil in New Orleans on the progress of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, the global initiative that aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, which was launched in 1999.

(WHO coordinates the governmental aspects of VISION 2020, and IAPB focuses on the private sector, in coordination with non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs).)

Plans for implementation of VISION 2020 have been defined in each of the six WHO regions, and national plans have been defined in at least 10 countries, Dr. Rao said.

The ICO encourages ophthalmologic societies and individual ophthalmologists to get involved in the definition of their national VISION 2020 plans.

A revised toolkit for developing national, provincial and local VISION 2020 action plans is available on a CD and at: http://www.v2020.org/toolkit/Toolkit2/start.htm.

Other ways societies and ophthalmologists can participate

Ophthalmologic societies and individual ophthalmologists can also have a great impact on preservation of vision, Dr. Rao said, by being involved in training of ophthalmologists and allied eye care personnel, particularly in developing countries.

Ophthalmologists can play a critical role by serving as advocates to national leaders, he said, and helping to "bring the massive problem of blindness to the focus of policy makers and the public."

WHO and ICO collaborate on research, visual standards and human resources development

Dr. Pararajasegaram reported to the Council in New Orleans on WHO/ICO collaborative efforts, including WHO’s endorsement of the "Research Agenda for Global Blindness Prevention" defined by the ICO’s Research Committee.

WHO is incorporating parts of the ICO's resolution on "Visual Standards - Aspects and Ranges of Vision Loss" into the revised International Classification of Diseases - ICD-10, he reported. And ICO Secretary General Bruce E. Spivey, MD, co-chairs the Human Resources Development working group of VISION 2020.

2004 is the first year of a formal three-year collaboration between WHO and ICO/IFOS.

The economic cost of loss of vision

WHO estimates that $US 150 billion will be saved worldwide by the year 2020 if VISION 2020 is successful, according to reports at the American Academy of Ophthalmology/European Society of Ophthalmology joint meeting in New Orleans in October.

To achieve those savings, $2 billion will need to be invested in VISION 2020. If it is not, 100 million people will go blind whose vision could have been preserved, according to WHO analysis.

WHO studies the burden of disease

WHO is also evaluating data on the impact of various diseases and health problems, Dr. Pararajasegaram reported to the Council. Data for blindness, visual impairment and refractive errors will be combined, which should give a more accurate and vivid picture of their impact.

This will provide a strong factual basis for advocacy efforts to encourage greater focus by governments and the public on the serious impact of loss of vision and how needless it is, Dr. Rao said.

"Infinite Vision" film about Aravind and "Dr. V"

The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 2004 International Forum closed with a screening of a moving film that tells the story Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, the legendary ophthalmologist from South India, and the evolution of the Aravind model of eye care.

The 35-minute "Infinite Vision" can be purchased on DVD from the Seva Foundation at http://www.seva.org/merchandise.php.

Next: More News of preservation of vision.

Also see: International ophthalmology's Vision for the Future