October: World Blindness Awareness Month

In October, we not only celebrate the beginning of fall and the much-anticipated Halloween night, but it is also the month dedicated to raising awareness about blindness. World Blindness Month is a global movement in which various events and initiatives are organized to highlight the issue.

Additionally, this October 10th marks World Sight Day, which aims to focus global attention on the importance of eye care in young people and inspire children to love their eyes.

At CODET Vision Institute, we are particularly committed to the cause, serving dozens of patients suffering from partial or complete blindness. Here, we present some statistics, projections, and causes of blindness around the world.

Statistics and Projections

According to the IAPB (International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness), globally, 1.1 billion people live with vision loss. It is estimated that 43 million people are blind, and 295 million people have moderate to severe visual impairment.

The number of people with vision loss has been growing exponentially in recent years and is expected to increase by 55%, reaching 600 million people in the next 30 years. This is partly due to the aging global population but can also be attributed to changes in lifestyle.

The rise in urbanization and education, more sedentary lifestyles in closed spaces, less nutritious foods, and the resulting obesity have contributed to the sharp increase in the worldwide prevalence of diabetes and myopia.

Causes of Vision Loss

Cataracts

In 2020, cataracts were the leading cause of reversible blindness. Affecting 15.2 million people, according to a study led by GBD (Global Burden of Disease Study).

Aging is the most common cause of cataracts. This is due to normal changes in the eye that occur after approximately age 40. From that age onwards, the normal proteins of the lens begin to disintegrate. This causes the lens to become cloudy.

More than 25 million cataract surgeries are performed each year, making it the most common surgical procedure in the world. The cloudy natural lens of the eye is removed and replaced with an Intra Ocular Lens (IOL).

CODET Vision Institute in Tijuana, Mexico, is one of the few highly experienced ophthalmology institutions in the world using laser cataract surgery.

Diabetes

Diabetes brings with it several conditions that affect the lives of those who suffer from it. In some cases, they may develop diabetic retinopathy. This disease commonly affects both eyes and can lead to vision loss if untreated. Poorly controlled blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol increase the risk of developing it.

Unfortunately, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has skyrocketed in recent years.

In 2000, the global estimate of adults living with diabetes was 151 million. In 2015, this figure rose to 415 million people. Currently, 463 million people live with diabetes. It is projected that there will be 642 million adults with diabetes by 2040 and 700 million by 2045, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Myopia

In 2015, it was estimated that 23% of the global population had myopia. By 2050, lifestyle changes are expected to increase this figure to 50%. Some of these individuals with myopia will end up losing their vision due to a complication called myopic macular degeneration.

World Sight Day

World Sight Day, on Thursday, October 10, 2024, aims to focus global attention on the importance of eye care in young people and inspire children worldwide to take care of their eyes.

Some issues affecting the vision of children around the world include:

• 450 million children have a visual condition that requires treatment, and many of them cannot access affordable and available eye care.

• Children with vision loss in low-resource countries are 2 to 5 times less likely to attend school.

• Every day, young people miss out on learning and social opportunities due to vision problems that could be treated, corrected, and often cured.

Source: IABP (The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness)