• The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to ensure that millions of people living with cataract can access simple, sight‑restoring surgery - one of the most effective and affordable interventions to prevent avoidable blindness. • A new study published today in The Lancet Global Health highlights the scale of the challenge: nearly half of all people across the world facing cataract‑related blindness still need access to surgery. • Cataract - the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness - affects more than 94 million people globally. • Cataract surgery - a simple 15-minute procedure - is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight. • Over the past two decades, global coverage of cataract surgery has increased by about 15%, even as ageing populations and rising cataract cases have increased overall demand. • The latest modelling predicts the coverage for cataract surgery to rise by about 8.4% for this decade.
Article Summaries:
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments to speed up access to cataract surgery, a simple, cost‑effective procedure that restores sight for millions. A new Lancet Global Health study shows that nearly 50 % of the 94 million people worldwide with cataract‑related blindness still lack surgery. Global coverage has risen only 15 % in the past two decades, and the WHO projects an 8.4 % increase this decade-short of the 30 % target for 2030. The biggest shortfall is in the African Region, where three‑quarters of those needing surgery remain untreated, and women face lower access. Structural barriers such as workforce shortages, high out‑of‑pocket costs, and long wait times are cited, with WHO urging integration of eye screening into primary care, investment in surgical infrastructure, and targeted outreach to women and underserved communities.
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