Social economic development in the prevention of global blindness

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.

Figure 1

Prevalence of blindness versus per capita income, per country. Data taken from 22 countries with "whole country" estimates.

Figure 2

Prevalence of blindness versus per capita income, per country. Data taken from all 53 countries in the study.

Figure 3

Prevalence of blindness versus average per capita income, by economic region. SSA = sub-Saharan Africa; OAI = other Asia and islands; MEC = Middle Eastern crescent; LAC = Latin America and Caribbean; FSE = former socialist economies; EME = established market economies.

Figure 4

Global distribution of blindness and its major causes, by economic region. EME = established market economies; FSE = former socialist economies; OAI = other Asia and islands; SSA = sub-Saharan Africa; LAC = Latin America and Caribbean; MEC = Middle Eastern crescent.