Abstract
Blindness is estimated to affect at least 37 million people globally; cataract continues to account for approximately half of all blindness, despite rising cataract surgical rates in most countries. The increasing amount of information on blindness from many parts of the world has allowed an improvement in the accuracy of global estimates, as well as provided evidence for more effective planning. There is growing recognition of significant variations in blindness numbers within countries and within regions; the reasons for the variations are multiple. Adoption of evidence-based strategies is imperative if the VISION 2020 goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by the year 2020 is to be met.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.