Every five seconds a person becomes blind. Every minute the same fate comes to a child. According to latest estimates, 314 million people worldwide suffer from severe visual impairment. Of these 45 million are blind (including 1.4 million children) and 269 million people are visually impaired. Among these 144.9 million are suffering from very severe refractive defects (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), which could in many cases, be corrected with appropriate optical aids (eg glasses). The refractive defects are a very serious problem, especially for children in developing countries who, unable to care adequately for school lessons, they are often regarded by teachers and classmates as children with mental retardation, and thus marginalized.
90% of blind people live in developing countries where, due to poor hygiene and socio-economic conditions (malnutrition, disease, lack of medicines and appropriate care), a person has a chance to tenfold of vision loss compared to those living in industrialized countries. In southern countries of the world's burden of blindness will prevent millions of men, women and children to work or go to school. Being blind in a poor country in the world means, too often condemned to marginalization, poverty and, because of reduced life expectancy (third in less than a sighted person) to death.
Yet, 80% of blindness could be avoided by implementing prevention programs and treatment, with significant benefits for the quality of life of people with disabilities or at risk of disability and with fewer social and economic costs to society . At this very field activities that focus CBM daily, achieves in developing countries to fight diseases that lead to blindness: cataract, glaucoma, trachoma, childhood blindness, low vision.
For more information visit the CBM Italy.
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