Story

For those who have heard me speak about this will know - at least 82% of blindness is avoidable; in other words, 82% of people with blindness or visual impairments are unable to see only because they can't afford access to eye care or a pair of glasses.

At least 130,000 Palestinian people live with vision loss (aged +50 yrs. old). The leading causes of vision loss in Palestine are cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and uncorrected refractive error. The limited data available suggests that vision impairment in Palestinian children is a huge problem as 29% of 3-5 year old already have refractive errors. Prevalence of refractive errors in some schools is as high as 70%.

The Fred Hollows Foundation is an international development organization working in more than 25 countries to end avoidable blindness and vision impairment for the last 30 years. The Foundation has restored sight to more than 3 million people around the world. The Foundation’s vision is for a world where no person is needlessly blind or vision impaired.

updates