You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
World view
Social economic development in the prevention of global blindness
  1. Viet H Hoa,
  2. Ivan R Schwabb
  1. aTufts University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA, bUniversity of California at Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
  1. Ivan R Schwab, MD, FACS, Department of Ophthalmology, UC Davis Medical Center, 4860 “Y” Street, Suite 2400, Sacramento, CA 95817, USAirschwab{at}ucdavis.edu

Abstract

AIMS To assess the relation between a country's economic developmental status and its prevalence of blindness.

METHODS Available epidemiological data on worldwide visual loss and its causes compiled by the World Health Organization were reviewed. Findings were compared with economic development data from the involved countries and regions. Analysis was completed in view of the socioeconomic status of each country and region.

RESULTS Analysis of the global distribution of blindness indicates a trend of higher prevalence existing in developing countries with lower per capita income. Preventable causes of blindness (that is, cataract, trachoma) are also more prevalent in these countries.

CONCLUSIONS Because economic development is shown to be a factor in blindness, programmes for blindness prevention should not be the only route to the elimination of unnecessary blindness throughout the world. Concomitant economic development is also necessary to reduce and eventually eradicate much of the preventable and avoidable causes of blindness.

  • economic development
  • blindness

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.85.6.653

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text