16. Soaring to New Heights to Prevent and Treat Blindness from Ecuador

Preventable blindness affects millions of people. That's the dark reality for far too many, even when treatments are actually readily available. While medical advancements have lowered the rate of blindness per age group, our global population is growing and aging rapidly. And the longer people live, the more likely they are to develop age-related eye conditions. Visual loss profoundly impacts people physically, psychologically, economically, educationally, and socially. Your whole world shrinks in a way. Andrea Molinari, an eye surgeon with Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, tells us about her work in preventing and treating avoidable blindness in regions that most need that care.References:Velez G, Fortenbach CR, Oetting TA. Global Causes of Preventable Blindness and Vision Impairment. EyeRounds.org. February 23, 2022. Accessed October 26, 2023.Burton MJ, Ramke J, Marques AP, Bourne RRA, Congdon N, Jones I, et al. The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9:e489–551.Zhang JH, Ramke J, Jan C, Bascaran C, Mwangi N, Furtado JM, et al. Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through improving eye health: a scoping review. Lancet Planet Health. 2022;6:e270–80.World Health Organization. Blindness and Vision Impairment. Published August 10, 2023. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment.