International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness – Trachoma Campaign
Stories | August 10, 2022
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), is hosting the IAPB Council of Members 2019 meeting Tanzania. As a long standing member CBM International will be attending the meeting on 7-8 October 2019.
The IAPB Council brings together world leaders in eye health and vision care to discuss issues relevant to the elimination of avoidable blindness and visual impairment globally. The meetings are also an opportunity to meet and discuss the latest in eye health with your peers.
CBM International is leading a session on achieving universal eye health in Africa: Challenges & Opportunities. It focuses on opportunities to promote Universal Eye Health in Africa such as the national health insurance fund, health care financing and cost sharing; also overcoming the challenge of providing free services for future sustainability of eye care.
Working in coalitions, like the IAPB, enables us to better advocate at national, regional and international levels for comprehensive services and tertiary care for those who are least able to advocate for themselves. Operating since 1975, IAPB is a coordinating, umbrella organisation to lead an international efforts in mobilising resources for blindness prevention activities.
In 2019 there are 36 million people who are blind with 89 per cent of vision-impaired people living in low and middle-income countries – like the ones in which CBM works. More than 75% of visual impairment is avoidable.
New data published in the Lancet Global Health warns we are entering into a new era of blindness and vision impairment—an era where existing efforts are at serious risk of being overwhelmed, potentially leading to a threefold increase in blindness by 2050. A large scale-up of eye care provision to cope with the increasing numbers is needed to address avoidable vision loss.
CBM, together with IAPB and other council members, pursue practical and strategic opportunities to support the integration of eye health services into mainstream health provision. We are committed to ensuring responsible sustainability is at the forefront of our working practises. We work with each other to advance our common mission and recognise that it is only by working with each other that our collective vision can be realised. In the face of growing blindness we need to obtain a global commitment to prioritise, scale-up and integrate comprehensive eye care services.
World Health Organisation launches the first World Report on Vision
On Wednesday 9 October, the World Health Organisation launched the first World Report on Vision.The report begins to capture, for the first time, the global need accompanying vision impairment and the significant challenges we’re facing.
“We have no choice but to take on this challenge. It is time to make sure that as many people as possible in all countries can see.”
You can read the report here.
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/international-agency-for-the-prevention-of-blindness-trachoma-campaign