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By Chioma Obinna
On the occasion of World Sight Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a critical alert regarding an escalating yet frequently neglected health issue: millions across Africa suffer from preventable blindness and vision impairments due to inadequate access to essential eye care services.
World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, serves to highlight the significance of maintaining good vision. This year, the focus is sharply on Africa, where untreated eye diseases continue to impose a growing burden on communities.
Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, revealed that only about 26% of patients requiring cataract surgery receive it with successful visual outcomes. Furthermore, just 30% of individuals with refractive errors, such as myopia, have been properly fitted with corrective lenses like glasses.
“These numbers represent more than mere data points-they reflect millions enduring needless vision loss or blindness, conditions that are largely avoidable or manageable,” Dr. Janabi emphasized in his World Sight Day message.
While the African region has achieved notable success in combating diseases such as vitamin A deficiency, onchocerciasis, and trachoma, Dr. Janabi cautioned that these victories are now at risk due to emerging challenges.
Factors such as an aging population, rising prevalence of chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and limited public knowledge about eye care are driving an increase in vision-related disorders. Cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors have become the primary causes of blindness, further burdening already fragile healthcare infrastructures.
Alarmingly, only about one-third of African nations have established national eye health policies, highlighting a significant deficiency in political commitment, leadership, and funding, according to WHO.
In response, the international health community has introduced strategic measures. The World Health Assembly’s 2021 resolution WHA74.12 set ambitious goals to boost effective coverage for refractive error treatments by 40 percentage points and cataract surgeries by 30 percentage points by 2030.
Building on these objectives, WHO launched the SPECS 2030 initiative in June 2024. This program strives to guarantee affordable, high-quality, and patient-focused refractive error services for all who need them. Key priorities include enhancing service delivery, expanding the eye care workforce, raising public awareness, lowering treatment costs, and strengthening data collection systems.
Currently, eight African countries have begun adopting SPECS 2030, engaging stakeholders and formulating national action plans.
These efforts extend the foundation laid by earlier campaigns such as Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, which pioneered cost-effective strategies to reduce cataract-related blindness.
Despite these advancements, WHO stresses the urgency for intensified action.
Governments are encouraged to elevate eye health on their agendas by crafting comprehensive national strategies, integrating vision care into health benefit packages, training additional eye care professionals, and leveraging digital innovations like WHO Eyes-a free mobile app designed to facilitate routine vision screening.
Moreover, WHO advocates for the inclusion of vision and sensory health metrics within national health information systems to better inform policy-making and resource allocation.
Dr. Janabi highlighted that World Sight Day serves not only as a call to policymakers but also as a reminder for individuals to take proactive steps in safeguarding their eye health.
He urged regular eye examinations, prompt treatment of vision problems, and lifestyle adjustments such as limiting screen exposure, maintaining a nutritious diet, and managing chronic conditions that affect eyesight.
“Through unified global and national efforts, and by prioritizing eye health both personally and politically,” Dr. Janabi concluded, “we can prevent millions of cases of avoidable vision loss.”