A new study appearing today in The Lancet Global Health shows that less than half of people over the age of 50 globally have received the spectacles or contact lenses required to correct refractive error, the world’s most common visual problem – and informs a major World Health Organization (WHO) report on eye care.

Uncorrected refractive error refers to vision disorders such as presbyopia, myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism that are treatable with simple therapies such as eyeglasses or contact lenses.

It causes moderate and severe distant vision impairment worldwide, affecting 157 million individuals in 2020.

The new study was conducted by the Vision Loss Expert Group of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Cambridge University Hospitals, under the direction of Professor Rupert Bourne.

In order to calculate statistics in numerous defined zones for treatment coverage of distance and near refractive error, researchers analyzed data from 169 separate studies from around the world.

Although adequate treatment coverage for distance refractive error, which includes conditions like myopia, astigmatism, or moderate to severe hyperopia, has increased by 19% since 2000, the study found that only 43% of all adults over 50 are receiving simple and direct treatments for these conditions, with the number falling to 21% for those with presbyopia, a problem with near vision.

Treatment coverage for distance refractive error varies globally, ranging from 79% in the ‘high income’ zone, which includes the United States, to 5.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The study also showed that women have lower levels of coverage than men in all of the world’s regions.

By 2030, the WHO hopes to increase treatment coverage for distance refractive error by 40 percentage points. Today, Professor Bourne will present the study’s findings at the UN Headquarters in New York City during the introduction of the first WHO Report outlining the 2030 targets for effective coverage of eye care.

“There is growing evidence that improving eye health and preventing vision impairment can directly contribute to the achievement of many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as the reduction of poverty and improvements in work productivity, education, and equity,” says Professor Bourne.

The United Nations has acknowledged this, and their research has helped the WHO set goals for bettering treatment outcomes globally, according to the professor.

“There are multiple social and cultural reasons that influence coverage of treatment for refractive error. Of these, the lower coverage among women is most striking. We believe that differences in access to healthcare and take-up of services are likely to be the main reasons for this gender inequality.

“It is clear that if we are to meet these WHO targets, the quality and quantity of refractive services across the world must be improved.”

The WHO, Sightsavers, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Fondation Thea, Brien Holden Vision Institute, and Lions Clubs International Foundation all provided funding for the study.

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