Better eye health can economically boost the Indian economy by $27 billion every year, according to a global study by International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Prof. Kevin Frick from Johns Hopkins University.
(For top health news of the day, subscribe to our newsletter Health Matters)
The study calculated the economic value of avoidable sight loss (blindness due to refractive error and unoperated cataract) among people in the 50 to 65 age bracket across the globe. While vision impaired people in this age category incurred economic losses to the tune of $27 billion per annum in India, their counterparts in China lost the highest at $96 billion while the loss in the U.S is estimated at $50 billion, implied the study by the IAPB, a London-based global alliance of organisations working towards the elimination of avoidable blindness and vision impairment.
India has the third highest potential savings from avoiding sight loss through better eye health, as per the study which was released globally on October 12, the World Sight Day.
Sight loss affects 70 million people in India and over 1.1 billion individuals worldwide. For these individuals, an estimated 30% also experience a reduction in employment — but 90% of this sight loss can be avoided with early intervention and treatment, protecting their future earnings and transforming their lives, according to the survey.
The research drew on Gross National Income per capita data from the World Bank and eye health data from IAPB Vision Atlas, collated by an international group of ophthalmologists and optometrists.
Peter Holland, CEO, IAPB and spokesperson of IAPB’s campaign, Love Your Eyes, said, “Our eyes are central to our ability to earn a living. Sight loss has a profound impact on one’s personal and professional life. Women, people in rural communities and ethnic minority groups are even more likely to experience sight loss and be excluded from employment and services.’‘
Published - October 12, 2023 01:00 pm IST
