Unite for Impact in Eye Health

As an official partner of the World Health Organization, The Fred Hollows Foundation is a major player in promoting eye health in global policy discussions.

The Foundation is a strong supporter of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and proud to be a Strategic Partner at the IAPB 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE event in Nairobi, Kenya from 4 to 6 June 2026.

This year’s theme is “Unite for Impact” – a call for leaders, advocates and changemakers across the eye health and development sectors to accelerate progress towards the 2030 In Sight Strategy of ending avoidable sight loss together.

This work will drive our advocacy at the inaugural Global Health Summit for Eye Health in November 2026, where commitments will be secured from world leaders for greater investment in eye health.

Globally, there are more than 2.2 billion people living with blindness or vision impairment, including 1.1 billion people with a condition that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.

Without urgent action, this number will increase to 1.8 billion by 2050.

Blindness and vision impairment is not only a matter of unequal access to eye health – it’s a critical global development issue that requires greater commitment and investment.

Investment in eye health transforms millions of people’s lives on a global scale. With clear vision, children can reach their potential at school, families can generate income and older people can live longer with greater independence.

Research from The Fred Hollows Foundation, The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the Seva Foundation shows that every dollar invested in eye health delivers a return of $28, placing eye health alongside nutrition as one of the most cost-effective interventions in low and middle-income countries.

Influencing world leaders of the value of embedding eye care into universal health coverage is a key action area that will transform lives and deliver on Professor Fred Hollows’ belief that everyone should have access to high-quality, affordable eye care no matter where they live.

It’s more than a health issue

Eye health is not just a medical problem, it is a core development issue because vision underpins people’s ability to learn, work, earn an income, care for others, and participate fully in society.

When eye conditions are untreated, especially in low‑ and middle‑income countries, they reinforce cycles of poverty, inequality and exclusion.

Global evidence shows that poor vision reduces productivity, household income and independence, increasing vulnerability to economic shocks and long‑term poverty. Because eye care is often excluded from health systems, people incur high out‑of‑pocket costs or go without care, undermining universal health coverage (UHC).

Of the 1.1 billion people living with vision loss that could be prevented or treated, 55 percent are women and girls, the majority of them living in low and middle-income countries.

Eye health directly and indirectly contributes to many of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Eye health is one of the smartest development investments we can make—because restoring sight restores lives, livelihoods and opportunity.