ADVOCACY Vision for all: a global call to transform eye health
How can the problems facing the world today be fixed with a 750-year-old solution?
Global development remains a complex challenge, and despite some progress, the pace has been slow. While there have been achievements, the full promise of sustainable and inclusive development is still far from realised. Poverty, inequality and underdevelopment continue to be major issues, with many marginalised communities excluded from the benefits of global growth.
The gap between developed and developing nations is widening.1 Wealth, resources and opportunities remain concentrated in a few parts of the world, while many countries struggle to access necessities such as health care, education and infrastructure. This imbalance leaves millions without the support they need to live healthy, productive lives with devastating effects, particularly in areas where conflict, poverty and environmental crises intersect.
As we move deeper into the 21st century, the aspiration for shared prosperity feels more critical than ever. Yet, at this very moment, new obstacles are slowing our progress. Factors beyond our control – such as economic instability, natural disasters and political tensions – are creating setbacks on a global scale, increasing the gap between ambition and reality.
However, amid these challenges, there are still opportunities to make a difference in areas that are often overlooked but carry immense potential.
Vision care is one such area. It is a sizeable problem with the ability to unlock multiple benefits across social and economic factors if addressed effectively.
Vision care: a catalyst for accelerating global progress
Around 2.7 billion people – nearly one-third of the global population – suffer from uncorrected poor vision, making it one of the largest unaddressed disabilities in the world. This is unacceptable, as tools for correction, such as eyeglasses, have existed for the past 750 years.
Despite the simplicity and affordability of a solution such as eyeglasses, millions still lack access due to systemic barriers in health care, affordability and awareness – challenges we at the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation
are committed to addressing.
The transformative impact of providing vision care is clear: it not only improves sight but also boosts academic performance, increases workplace productivity and enhances safety. Good vision fosters inclusivity, improves quality of life and empowers greater participation in society.
These themes have been at the heart of global conversations, including recent G20 summits, where leaders underscored the need for equal opportunities. Yet millions – especially women, children and the elderly – continue to be held back by untreated vision problems.
How can we solve the vision care crisis?
To truly solve the global vision crisis and ensure the next generation doesn’t face the same barriers as the last, we must work together – governments, non-governmental organisations, businesses and individuals.
At the same time, I firmly believe that the key to lasting change lies in reaching children early.
In India, we’ve seen first hand what is possible when we act decisively. Through our collaboration with the government of Goa, we trained more than 2,000 teachers to conduct vision screenings, allowing us to provide life-changing care en masse to over 230,000 children, many receiving vision care for the first time.
Building on this success, the government of Goa has now implemented a groundbreaking policy: mandatory annual vision tests for all schoolchildren. This initiative, one of the first of its kind globally, ensures that no child will sit in a classroom unable to see the board clearly, giving them the chance to excel in school – all thanks to a simple pair of eyeglasses.
But this is just the beginning.
Each of us today has the opportunity to create a future where no child’s potential is limited by poor vision. One decision – providing glasses to children in need – has the power to transform global development.
By addressing vision issues early, we unlock the potential of the next generation, ensuring they are equipped to succeed in school, work and life.
Implementing similar policies worldwide, or starting in G20 members, could unleash $272 billion in productivity, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond education.2 It would lead to more inclusive and healthier societies, stronger economies and a world where every child can see a future full of possibilities.
The next generation is counting on us to act now, so why wait?
References:
1. Ruchir Agarwal and Gita Gopinath, ‘Drawing Further Apart: Widening Gaps in the Global Recovery’, IMF Blog (July 27, 2021),
www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2021/07/27/blogs-drawing-further-apart-widening-gaps-in-the-global-recovery.
2. TST Smith et al., ‘Potential Lost Productivity Resulting from the Global Burden of Uncorrected Refractive Error’, Bull World Health Organization, 87(6) (June 2009): 431–437, https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/270451.
Updated for population and inflation, 2015
