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Primer about poverty and blindness Approximately 45 milliion
people around the globe are visuallyimpaired and about 87% of these
are from developing countries.Poverty and blindness are believed to
be intimately linked, with povertypredisposing to blindness, and
blindness exacerbating poverty bylimiting employment opportunities,
or by incurring treatment cost(Kuper et al., 2010).
Why are the poor more vulnerable to blindness?
1. They don't have access to health care services2. They don't
have resources to pay for expensive eye care services
3. They are more susceptible to eye infections and diseases4.
There is lack of awareness on proper eye health care
However not only poverty a cause of blindness but it can also be
theother way around- that blindness is a cause for poverty!
Economic Burden of Blindness 90% visually impaired people are
unemployed Negative social stigma are placed on them thus isolating
them from
society According to Wagner-Lampl and Oliver (1997), blindness
causes people
especially in the developing countries to lose social standing
anddecision-making authority while 80% of the women reports a loss
of authority within their household
The blind and their caretakers (especially if its a family
member) havereduced productivity and earning potential
$8 B a year is loss in economic productivity in US alone because
of blindness while the global annual loss in gross domestic
productestimates to $19,223 M and $22,764 M in the year 2000
(Gilbert et al,2008).
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It is known that as a disability, blindness often leads to
unemployment,which in turn leads to loss of income, higher levels
of poverty and hunger and low standards of living. This then
results in limited accessibility and affordability of health-care
services and deprives thoseaffected of educational and other
opportunities. All of these together lead to early mortality and
loss of economic productivity of a nation as awhole. (Khanna et al,
2007)
Impact of Blindness on Children and Family Members
In developing countries, the blind are usually assisted by
sightedchildren or adults who are part of their family If the child
cecomes the caretaker, that child usually is unable to go
schooling hence affecting the future of the child The sighted
adult who assist the blind in the famiy usually stops working
thus limiting their economical capability
The physical and emotional toll impacts not just the individual
and family but the social and economic fabric of communities and
everyones existence. Sudden blindness of one individu al in a
family canbecome the tipping point for survival when they are
impoverished tobegin with. (Javit et al, 1983) (Shamana et al,
1998)
A call to National Intervention
Studies in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kenya, the Philippines, and
Vietnamshowed that there is a link between poverty and
blindness
Also, researches have proven that the blind whose sight have
beenrestored has an increased economical and social standing
Sources:http://www.uniteforsight.org/community-eye-health-course/module13
http://www.hollows.org.au/Page.aspx?ID=2430
http://www.uniteforsight.org/community-eye-health-course/module13http://www.uniteforsight.org/community-eye-health-course/module13http://www.uniteforsight.org/community-eye-health-course/module13
