Sightsavers

Worldwide, it is estimated that there are 285 million people who are visually impaired. Of these, 39 million people are blind. Nine out of ten blind people live in developing countries. 80% of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured. The statistics on blindness and low vision are staggering, but people do not go blind by the million, they go blind one by one, and for each person the impact is enormous. Poverty and blindness are a formidable combination, depriving many people in the developing world of basic human rights. Loss of sight often results in social exclusion, making people who are blind vulnerable to abuse, poverty and early death. The figures appear overwhelming, yet providing help is simple. For over 60 years, Sightsavers has been working with local partners to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world. During this time, we have supported over 7.5 million operations to restore sight and distributed... more

Worldwide, it is estimated that there are 285 million people who are visually impaired. Of these, 39 million people are blind. Nine out of ten blind people live in developing countries. 80% of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured. The statistics on blindness and low vision are staggering, but people do not go blind by the million, they go blind one by one, and for each person the impact is enormous. Poverty and blindness are a formidable combination, depriving many people in the developing world of basic human rights. Loss of sight often results in social exclusion, making people who are blind vulnerable to abuse, poverty and early death. The figures appear overwhelming, yet providing help is simple. For over 60 years, Sightsavers has been working with local partners to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world. During this time, we have supported over 7.5 million operations to restore sight and distributed 170 million Mectizan® treatments to prevent river blindness.