Recognizing the enormous burden that the loss of sight places on individuals, families and their communities, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness by the year 2020. The project underscores the challenges faced by health systems throughout the world that have inadequate and unfairly distributed resources which threaten to result in the potential doubling of blindness by 2020.
The WHO VISION 2020 – The Right to Sight campaign offers an unprecedented opportunity through worldwide partnerships to marshal the resources and experience of a broad global coalition of public and private nongovernmental organizations who are dedicated to the shared goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by the year 2020.
The initiative recognizes that a comprehensive program for the prevention of blindness requires a community-based strategy that incorporates attention to trachoma, blinding malnutrition, onchocerciasis, cataract, ocular trauma, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. The program identifies for the first time the importance of expanding prevention of blindness programs to include refractive errors and low vision.
The success of the project will require the mobilization of optometrists, ophthalmologists and other types of vision care personnel. It is critically important to forging strategic alliances among these professionals, their organizations and the significant number of non-governmental organizations working in the field of blindness prevention.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify the major causes of avoidable blindness and their distribution globally. 2. Discuss the nature and magnitude of the health challenge. 3. Articulate the importance of developing a broad coalition of participants for a successful campaign. 4. Recognize the importance of educating health care practitioners and public health leaders and organizations about VISION 2020. 5. Identify strategies for global partnerships in support of VISION 2020.
Keywords: Vision Care,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.