Dear HIFA colleagues,
I had little idea of the burden of cataract worldwide before this discussion. We have learned that cataract affects more than 94 million people globally and that cataract surgery – a simple 15-minute procedure – is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight.
I have just read this paper that suggests the problem continues to get worse: 'As the population grows and ages while coverage of cataract surgery remains incomplete, immense numbers of people remain blind and vision impaired from cataract. These numbers are expected to continue growing markedly as the population increases and ages worldwide, especially in the least developed countries with young but rapidly aging populations and high cataract blindness/MSVI prevalence. While much has been achieved by initiatives to tackle cataract blindness, much more needs to be done to provide cataract surgery to those in need.'
CITATION: Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by cataract: a meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020
Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study* and GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators*
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-024-02961-1.pdf
The paper estimates that 17.0 million (39.6%) people were blind and 83.5 million (28.3%) had moderate to severe visual impairment due to cataract [in 2020].
'As an endemic condition, the ideal approach to the problem is to develop sufficient capacity and health system functionality to make ophthalmic surgery widely available worldwide.'
This brings a sense of urgency to HelpMeSee's press release today as announced by Van Lansingh:
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HelpMeSee Calls for Greater Investment in the Surgical Workforce to Address Global Cataract Blindness
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-sight-day-helpmesee-calls...
On World Sight Day, HelpMeSee is calling for greater investment in the skilled surgical workforce needed to address one of the world's most treatable causes of blindness.
It's estimated that 94 million adults age 50 and older live with vision impairment or blindness caused by untreated cataract, yet more than half of people who need cataract surgery globally do not have access to it. In the World Health Organization African Region, three in four people who need cataract surgery remain untreated.
Cataract can be treated surgically, but expanding access to treatment depends on having enough trained professionals with proficient surgical skills to provide quality care where patients need it most. Shortages and the unequal distribution of trained eye-care professionals remain significant barriers to cataract surgery, alongside cost, infrastructure and other health-system challenges.
"Expanding access to cataract treatment requires more than recognizing the scale of the problem. It requires sustained investment in the people and institutions that can provide quality surgical care. Building a skilled surgical workforce is essential to creating lasting cataract surgical capacity in communities where the need is greatest," says Dr. Nicoletta Fynn-Thompson, Chief Medical Officer at HelpMeSee...
Building Surgical Capacity Through Simulation
HelpMeSee works to address the surgical workforce challenge through competency-based, simulation-based cataract surgical training. Through partnerships with training institutions around the world, HelpMeSee supports the development of sustainable local surgical capacity and the effective transition of surgical skills into clinical practice...
Advancing the Global Conversation
Beginning on World Sight Day, HelpMeSee is sponsoring a weeklong Healthcare Information For All (HIFA) Spotlight on Cataract Blindness, Surgical Quality, and the Value of Simulation-based Training, running October 8–14.
The international discussion will bring together health professionals, policymakers, researchers and others to examine the global burden of cataract, the availability and quality of surgery, the role of simulation-based training, and the policies and resources needed to expand access to quality cataract care.
"No single organization can close the global cataract treatment gap alone. Progress requires strong partnerships and sustained investment in the people, training and institutions that make quality cataract care possible," said Doug May, HelpMeSee President and CEO.
Addressing cataract blindness at the scale required will depend on coordinated action across governments, health systems, training institutions, NGOs, donors and local partners. Strengthening the surgical workforce and the institutions that support it must be a central part of that effort.
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Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org