News
Retinal Implant Project
Researchers working for the Boston Retinal Implant Project have been developing a bionic eye implant that could restore the eye sight of people who suffer from age-related blindness. Although the bionic eye will only help individuals that were born with functional eyesight, the implant is expected to considerably improve their lives.
Source: Readers Digest May 2010
The effect of diabetes on the eyes
Twice as many women are blind
The theme of World Sight Day 2009 (WSD09) is Gender & Eye Health – equal access to care, recognising that two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women and girls, and that in many places men have twice the access to eye care. The day of awareness is set to be marked by up to 300 events in over 50 countries.
London, UK, 8th October 2009: The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has published a report to mark World Sight Day, which examines the current situation, and highlights effective strategies which are successfully addressing gender inequity in eye health, particularly in developing countries.
IAPB is the partner of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the
The report cites compelling evidence that in most developing countries, women are less likely to receive eye care services than men, and that additionally, women comprise more than half of the elderly population, and the natural incidence of some blinding diseases (cataract and trachoma) is higher among women than men, which results in a situation where women account for nearly two-thirds of blind people worldwide.
According to the British Journal of Ophthalmology, "blindness and severe visual impairment from cataract could be reduced by around 11% in low- and middle-income countries if women were to receive cataract surgery at the same rate as men." The strategies described in the report are simple, achievable and it is hoped they will contribute significantly to reducing blindness in developing countries.
According to the report, which includes case studies, programme reports and statistics from around the world, "the systematic approach to 'gender and blindness' can serve as a model to help other health areas to address gender inequity."
Activities and events are planned around the world, including Washington, USA, Sydney, Australia, Prague, Czech Republic, Tehran, Iran, Delhi, India and Port Au Prince in Trinidad & Tobago. The event in Washington will be the first of its kind, as a coalition of USA-based non-profits collaborate in the name of the global initiative.
