Facts

According to WHO estimates:

• Approximately 314 million people worldwide live with serious vision impairment
• Of these, 45 million people are blind and 124 million have low vision
• Also included, 153 million people are visually impaired due to uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). In most cases, normal vision could be restored with eyeglasses or contact lenses
• Yet 80% of blindness is avoidable - i.e. treatable and/or preventable
• 90% of blind people live in low-income countries
• Restorations of sight, and blindness prevention strategies are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care
• Infectious causes of blindness are decreasing as a result of public health interventions and socio-economic development. Blinding trachoma now affects fewer than 80 million people, compared to 360 million in 1985
• Aging populations and lifestyle changes mean that chronic blinding conditions such as diabetic retinopathy are projected to rise exponentially
• Women face a significantly greater risk of vision loss than men
• Without effective, major intervention, the number of blind people worldwide has been projected to increase to 76 million by 2020

Dark & Light aims at the eradication of preventable and treatable eye diseases. Early discovery and proper treatment can prevent further loss of eyesight!

The main causes of blindness and low vision are:
Cataract
Trachoma
River blindness
Childhood blindness
Refractive errors
Low vision
Glaucoma
Diabetic retinopathy
Macular degeneration
Pterygium