SDG 11: Addressing vision challenges for safer cities

Transportation via roadways has a positive impact on economic development,

accessibility, social equity, resilience of cities and urban-rural linkages. Yet road traffic injuries are also the leading global cause of death among people aged 5–29 years. Though only 60% of the world’s cars are driven in low- and middle-income countries, over 90% of traffic deaths occur there. Additionally, 40–75% of those injured or killed in road traffic crashes in low- to middle-income countries are their family's principal earners. The fact that, without sustained action, road traffic injuries are projected to become the seventh-leading global cause of death for all ages by 2030 makes road safety a critical public health issue, deeply intertwined with creating communities where people thrive.

Orbis research shows an important link between improved access to vision screening and quality eye care and a reduction in the burden of unnecessary mortality among road users. Through our ongoing efforts to fight avoidable blindness and vision loss, Orbis and our partners are helping to improve road safety and advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11 to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.  

Through a systematic review of vision and traffic safety in low- and middle-income countries, Orbis discovered a higher risk of road traffic crashes for people with poor central visual acuity and other visual defects. People with poor central visual acuity struggle to see objects clearly and are 46% more likely to have a road traffic crash than those with normal vision. Regular eye examinations can detect and address these issues. Many drivers with impaired vision reported never having had eye examinations prior to licensure, despite existing legal requirements in most countries. Ultimately, these findings provide compelling support for instituting mandatory vision tests before a driving license is issued.

The high proportion of drivers with poor vision in low- and middle-income countries, and their significantly increased risk for crashes, were both novel findings that differed significantly from existing research in high-income countries, which are generally successful in keeping those with poor vision off the road.

Orbis research in the Asia Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, carried out by Orbis Bangladesh and our partner the Grameen GC Eye Hospital, found a high rate of vision impairment among 700 commercial bus drivers in Bangladesh that could easily be addressed through prescription eyeglasses or cataract surgery. Half of all crashes in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, involve buses, and nearly 1 in 5 drivers examined did not meet the standard for distance vision required to obtain a commercial driver's license. Those drivers with near or distance vision impairment were two-and-one-half-times likelier to have experienced a crash.

The findings highlight the importance of vision screening and improved access to eye care for bus drivers as part of road safety measures.  The results also have implications for other low- and middle-income countries, where 93% of road traffic deaths occur. Orbis aims to use this information to propel governments and key stakeholders into action.

The ongoing Orbis-supported STABLE (Slashing Two-wheeled Accidents by Leveraging Eye-Care) study in Vietnam aims to determine whether providing glasses to young drivers diagnosed with myopia who use motorbikes as their primary means of transport will improve their road safety. This randomized controlled trial will assess the impact of spectacles in reducing crash and near-crash events.

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].