WHO: Most blind people can recover eyesight

MANILA, Philippines – Most blind people in the Philippines and other countries have the chance to recover their eyesight, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported.

The WHO said that with adequate treatment, four out of five blind people can see again.

There are 39 million people who are blind and another 246 million people worldwide with poor vision that impairs their daily lives, the WHO said in a statement before the weekend.

Of the total figure, 10 million blind people and 79 million with poor vision live in the Western Pacific region.

The WHO said that in that region, the leading cause of blindness is cataract – a clouding of the lens, a natural process that usually comes with age.

The condition can be treated with a simple operation that removes the clouded lens, replacing it with a plastic one.

“This relatively straightforward surgery is highly effective, yet many people in low- and middle-income countries do not have access to the surgery,” the WHO said.

Other main causes of blindness include glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

The WHO said early diagnosis is crucial to avoid irreversible vision loss due to glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

“Any patient accessing the health system in their community should have access to important information on how to avoid blindness and to a quality referral system that can detect people with potentially blinding eye disease,” the WHO said.

But the WHO admitted that medical care is not immediately available, particularly in the low- and middle-income countries in the Western Pacific region, which are disproportionately affected by avoidable blindness.

Surveys indicate that globally, 90 percent of people with blindness or low vision live in low-income countries. Within these countries, disadvantaged and vulnerable communities are the worst affected and this reflects the link of eye health to poverty and education.

WHO is coordinating international efforts to reduce avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

In the Western Pacific, a dedicated WHO Program for the Prevention of Blindness was established in 2011.

On the celebration of World Sight Day last Thursday, many countries in the region celebrated the good progress made in the reduction of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

Activities around the region raised awareness of avoidable blindness as a public health problem that not only affects the patient but also their families and communities. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)