Overview

There are currently an estimated 43.3 million people who are blind globally, and an additional 295 million people with moderate and severe vision impairment. Ninety percent of visual loss is avoidable, and 90% of blind persons live in low and middle-income countries with 74% aged over 50 years. It is estimated that there are five million people blind in Africa accounting for 11.6% of the world’s blind population. In Nigeria the number of blind persons has increased from 1.13 million over a decade ago to 1.3 million in 2020. The leading causes of blindness and vision impairment in sub-Saharan Africa are cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors, and diabetic retinopathy. Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation intends to address this major causes of blindness in the region by providing comprehensive eye care at no cost to those desperately in need of them in the rural areas.