reduced the burden resulting from these infectious diseases. This has been achieved through a number of successful international public-private partnerships.
Specific achievements include:
Brazil which in the last decade has been providing eye care services through the national social security system;
Morocoo which has launched a public effort to control glaucoma;
China which has invested over 100 million dollars in cataract surgeries since 2009;
Oman has completely integrated eye care service provision in the primary health care framework over the last decade; and
India since 1995 has made available funds for eye care service provision for the poorest at district level.
The largest civil society effort to prevent and cure blinding disease and rehabilitate people whose irreversibly visually impaired or blind is the SightFirst programme of the International Association of the Lions Club (LIONS). Among others, this programme supports the largest initiative to develop child eye care centres (45 national reference paediatric centres established in 35 countries so far), implemented in partnership with WHO.
WHO response
WHO coordinates the international efforts to reduce visual impairments.
It's role is to:
monitor the worldwide trends of visual impairment by country and by region;
develop policies and strategies to prevent blindness appropriate for various development settings;
to give technical assistance to Member States and partners;
to plan, monitor and evaluate programmes; and
to coordinate effective international partnerships in support of national efforts.
In 2013, the World Health Assembly approved the 2014-19 Action Plan for the universal access to eye health, a roadmap for Member States, WHO Secretariat and international partners with the aim of achieving a measurable reduction of 25% of avoidable visual impairments by 2019.
WHO works to strengthen national and country-level efforts to eliminate avoidable blindness, help national health care providers treat eye diseases, expand access to eye health services, and increase rehabilitation for people with residual visual impairment or who are blind. Building accessible and comprehensive health systems is the focus of this decade.
WHO leads several international alliances of governments, private sector and civil society organizations aiming at contributing to the elimination of blinding diseases.