SDG 1: Reducing Poverty by Treating and Preventing Vision Loss

There are 1.1 billion people across the globe with vision loss, including blindness, and 90% of cases are

completely avoidable. Of people with vision loss, nine out of ten live in low- and middle-income countries, where access to eye care is scarce and visual impairment has a devastating impact on learning, productivity, and income generation.  

Conditions causing vision loss such as presbyopia (difficulty seeing objects clearly up close) and diabetic retinopathy (a sight-stealing complication of diabetes) frequently strike during peak earning years, potentially leading entire families into economic hardship.

Worldwide, diabetic retinopathy is the most prevalent cause of vision impairment among working-age adults (35-50 years old), while presbyopia, which typically begins around age 40, is a leading contributor to overall vision loss. Orbis and partners provide necessary vision care to afflicted individuals, which research shows restores their earning potential and helps to improve their quality of life.

Orbis and our partners work to end poverty from un-operated cataract by training skilled surgeons and providing modern equipment, while working with communities to build demand for sight-saving surgery. 

A study conducted in Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh highlighted the transformative impact of high-quality cataract operations on poverty alleviation. People with cataracts often rely on a relative to help care for them, which extends the economic loss to caregivers. Study participants who underwent a 20-minute cataract surgery experienced a significant and sustained increase in economic productivity over the course of six years, which extended to their families. Further, the recent SUCCESS trial, a peer-reviewed study involving Orbis, showed that cataract surgery in China led to a 54% increase in self-reported income, with the amount of increase in earnings strongly linked to the degree of vision improvement. 

In 2021, Orbis helped to lead a study (PROSPER, The PROductivity Study of Presbyopia in Rural dwellers), which revealed that tea pickers in India boosted their productivity by some 23% simply wearing a pair of US$1.80 reading glasses.

The impact was even greater among workers above the age of 50, who registered a 32% increase in productivity. Overall, adoption of glasses by workers reached nearly 90%. PROSPER reported a bigger impact than any other health trial on work productivity. Calculations indicate that if this improvement was replicated across India’s agricultural industry, it would mean an extra $20 billion in growth from productivity gains alone.

In another study, Orbis found that unaddressed near vision impairment led to lower monthly salaries for female garment workers in Bangladesh. This densely populated South Asian country is home to the second-largest readymade garment industry globally, employing about 4 million workers, over half of whom are women. The findings show that increased access to quality eyecare may serve as a lever to increase earnings among female workers and lift more women out of poverty.

Orbis has been a leader in addressing the growing global burden of diabetes and its complications, including diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to irreversible blindness. Working with the World Diabetes Foundation, we have been implementing programs in 6 countries – Bangladesh, China, Mongolia, Peru, South Africa, and Vietnam – to ensure that regular eye care screenings are integrated into diabetes care. To date, we have trained over 6,000 eye care professionals, screened nearly 1.5 million people, and provided treatment, including laser surgery, to over 92,700 people.

Additionally, Orbis is leading the way in providing access to AI tools that make it easier to screen for common eye conditions, including diabetic retinopathy. In Vietnam, use of Orbis's AI tools has improved efficiency in screening for the condition and contributed to addressing the shortage of trained ophthalmic staff in the country. Our RAIDERS trials in Rwanda showed that AI increased patient uptake of referral services by 30% and improved patient satisfaction, while our recent B-PRODUCTIVE study in Bangladesh has proven that use of AI improved by 40% the productivity of medical caregivers screening for diabetic retinopathy. Together, these trials demonstrate the effectiveness of AI as a novel tool in our programs to further increase access to sight-saving care and prevent diabetes-related sight loss among working people.  

We are expanding our research to show how interventions such as providing glasses, training surgeons, implementing eye care screening, and ensuring access to equipment and technology help to reduce vision loss and enable families to thrive. 

Orbis is proud of the difference we and our partners are making in communities. If you would like to learn more about how our work supports the SDGs, or are interested in funding any of the programs mentioned on this page, please email [email protected].