Vision Impact Institute: New Reports on State of Vision Will Renew Global Focus on the Societal Impact of Poor Vision

First WHO World Health Report on Vision and Essilor Report on Eliminating Poor Vision underscore need to include vision health in global public health agenda

DALLAS,Dec. 11,2019 --The Vision Impact Institute welcomes the release of two new complementary and aligned reports on the state of vision that raise awareness of the need for people-centered eye health services globally and highlight effective response strategies.

The first ever WHO World Report on Vision raises awareness of the global magnitude of eye conditions and their impact on people's lives. The report states that at least 2.2 billion need vision correction and don't have it. This burden weighs heavily on low-and middle-income countries,older people and rural communities.The Essilor Report: Eliminating Poor Vision in a Generation outlines solutions to address the challenge in one generation.

According to these reports these actions are recommended:

Make eye care an integral part of universal health coverage

Implement integrated people-centered eye care in health systems

Promote high-quality implementation and health systems research complementing existing evidence for effective eye care interventions

Monitor trends and evaluate progress towards implementing integrated people centered eye care

Raise awareness and empower people and communities about eye care needs

"Both of these reports are crucial for the future of vision health as we find ourselves on the cusp of the year 2020," says Kristan Gross,Global Executive Director. "This information can equip and empower advocates with a broader understanding of global vision health needs,and outline concrete actions to eliminate poor vision by 2050."

About the Vision Impact Institute

The Vision Impact Institute's mission is to raise awareness ofthe importance of vision correction and protection to make good vision a global priority. Its Advisory Board is comprised of six independent international experts: Pr. Kevin Frick(United States),Pr. Clare Gilbert (United Kingdom),Mr. Allyala Nandakumar (United States),Mr. Arun Bharat Ram (India),Dr. Serge Resnikoff (Switzerland),and Dr. Wang Wei (China).

The Vision Impact Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization,which receives support from the Vision for Life Fund from Essilor,the world leader in ophthalmic optics. The Vision Impact Institute hosts an interactive web platform,a unique database of research atvisionimpactinstitute.org.

Contact:

Andrea Kirsten-Coleman

Global Communications Manager

andrea.kirsten@visionimpactinstitute.org

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