WHO unveils kit to help blindness prevention programmes

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) today launched a compact disk tool kit to help countries and non-governmental organizations develop programmes to combat the problem of increasing numbers of people who are needlessly becoming blind.

The kit, unveiled at Word Sight Day activities today in Geneva, is a compilation of governmental and non-governmental experience in organizing blindness prevention programmes, and contains what WHO said were the latest information, documents, websites and slideshows on preventable blindness. The kit is aimed for use by policy makers and civil leaders.

WHO Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-wook said, “The latest research shows that the numbers of people who needlessly become blind are increasing. WHO is committed to reversing that trend.”

According to WHO, 80 per cent of visual loss can be prevented or cured. An estimated 40 million to 45 million people are blind and 135 million have low vision. An estimated 90 per cent of blindness occurs in developing countries. The leading causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment are cataract, trachoma, river blindness, some conditions in children, such as vitamin A deficiency and retinopathy, and the lack of glasses and low vision aids, the agency said.

The new tool kit is aimed at helping governments carry out a resolution on Elimination of Avoidable Blindness unanimously adopted at the 56th World Health Assembly last May, calling on all states to develop and evaluate National Prevention of Blindness Plans, with a view to implementing them by 2007.

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