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Lack of Vision Care in Low-Income Countries
- Violet Lee
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Citizens of low-income countries often face countless challenges such as the lack of education, healthcare and other aspects that relate to one’s quality of life. Yet, no one ever stops to consider the lack of vision care that these citizens have, too. In 2019, approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide were diagnosed with some form of vision impairment, yet only 1 billion of those cases were treated (WHO, 2019).
Poorer nations have disproportionately been affected more, being unable to treat even the most common conditions such as refractive errors, which amounts to 157 million cases (PMC, 2024). This applies to cataracts as well, which has affected 17 million people (Vision Loss Expert Group, 2024). Even though the treatments for these conditions are generally regarded to be affordable, millions of people living in low-income countries still go untreated because what is ‘affordable’ in wealthier countries still may be too costly for citizens of low-income countries .
So why does this happen? First of all, there is a shortage of healthcare professionals in rural communities, as most of the trained personnel are concentrated in urban cities. Subsequently, the additional cost of transportation discourages families from making the trip to buy even low-cost glasses. Furthermore, the lack of advocacy for vision care in lower-income countries means that citizens are unable to receive a professional diagnosis. Overall, these three factors are the driving reasons why low-income countries disproportionately suffer more from vision impairments.
Fortunately, various efforts to aid people suffering from a lack of vision care in low-income countries have started to arise in recent years. For example, Vision Atlas, a leading international platform for eye health data, has intervened by providing vision screening services and affordable eyeglasses to children that have refractive errors (Vision Atlas, n.d.). This cost-effective method not only gives children a valuable learning experience, but betters their quality of life as well. The Lancet Global Health, an academic journal that specializes in global health issues affecting marginalized groups, have also helped by providing free spectacles to workers in India that have been diagnosed with presbyopia (The Lancet, 2021).
Ultimately, vision care is a basic human right that should not be exclusive to the more fortunate. Even though the majority of the vision impairment cases worldwide are easily preventable or treatable, countless people are left without accessibility to these services. By implementing measures to allow universal vision care, especially in lower-income countries, the opportunity for everyone to see the world the same is restored.
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