The first ever World Report on Vision was launched at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday November 19, 2019. It was hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Mission of Antigua and Barbuda. His Excellency Walton Webson made welcome remarks by highlighting the significance of eye health and the need to address inequalities in access to eye care by emphasizing its need for integration in universal health coverage.
Following the opening remarks, the Permanent Representative of Ireland and the Ambassador of Bangladesh also made a statement in support of the significance of eye health globally. Dr. Silvio Paolo Mariotti, an ophthalmologist at WHO, shared a presentation highlighting key messages from the World Report on Vision.
He highlighted that vision impairment is not distributed equally, and 80% of vision impairment could be prevented, corrected, and treated. Moreover, out of 194 country health strategies, 191 did not mention eye care. Thus, we have a crucial role in this challenge to improve eye health of people globally by making eye care an integral part of the universal health coverage.
The president of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Peter Holland, also shared important messages highlighting the impact of eye health on matters outside of healthcare, such as productivity, education and road traffic accidents. He emphasized the need to persuade governments of the importance of ensuring all people have access to eye care services.
A panel discussion followed the opening segment, with the former Minister of Health of Rwanda and Senior Adviser to WHO, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho and Jennifer Gersbeck from 2020 Vision Australia answering questions from His Excellency Walton Webson as well as from the audience.
The discussion included the view of the panelists on some of the key challenges of vision, including the stigma that is associated with wearing glasses, and its integration in health systems. The event also welcomed the presence of the President of the UN General Assembly, His Excellency Tijjani Bande, who gave concluding remarks and received a copy of the World Report on Vision from His Excellency Walton Webson.