The Lancet. Healthy Longevity (Jan 2022)

Grand Challenges in global eye health: a global prioritisation process using Delphi method

  • Jacqueline Ramke, PhD,
  • Jennifer R Evans, PhD,
  • Esmael Habtamu, PhD,
  • Nyawira Mwangi, PhD,
  • Juan Carlos Silva, MD,
  • Bonnielin K Swenor, PhD,
  • Nathan Congdon, ProfMD,
  • Hannah B Faal, ProfFRCOphth,
  • Allen Foster, ProfFRCOphth,
  • David S Friedman, ProfPhD,
  • Stephen Gichuhi, PhD,
  • Jost B Jonas, ProfPhD,
  • Peng T Khaw, ProfPhD,
  • Fatima Kyari, PhD,
  • Gudlavalleti V S Murthy, ProfMD,
  • Ningli Wang, ProfPhD,
  • Tien Y Wong, ProfMD,
  • Richard Wormald, MSc,
  • Mayinuer Yusufu, MTI,
  • Hugh Taylor, FRANZCO,
  • Serge Resnikoff, ProfPhD,
  • Sheila K West, ProfPhD,
  • Matthew J Burton, ProfPhD,
  • Ada Aghaji,
  • Adeyemi T Adewole,
  • Adrienne Csutak,
  • Ahmad Shah Salam,
  • Ala Paduca,
  • Alain M Bron,
  • Alastair K Denniston,
  • Alberto Lazo Legua,
  • Aldiana Halim,
  • Alemayehu Woldeyes Tefera,
  • Alice Mwangi,
  • Alicia J Jenkins,
  • Amanda Davis,
  • Amel Meddeb-Ouertani,
  • Amina H Wali,
  • Ana G Palis,
  • Ana Bastos de Carvalho,
  • Anagha Joshi,
  • Andreas J Kreis,
  • Andreas Mueller,
  • Andrew Bastawrous,
  • Andrew Cooper,
  • Andrew F Smith,
  • Andrzej Grzybowski,
  • Anitha Arvind,
  • Anne M Karanu,
  • Anne O Orlina,
  • Anthea Burnett,
  • Aryati Yashadhana,
  • Asela P Abeydeera,
  • Aselia Abdurakhmanova,
  • Ashik Mohamed,
  • Ashish Bacchav,
  • Ashlie Bernhisel,
  • Aubrey Walton Webson,
  • Augusto Azuara-Blanco,
  • Ava Hossain,
  • Bayazit Ilhan,
  • Bella Assumpta Lucienne,
  • Benoit Tousignant,
  • Bindiganavale R Shamanna,
  • Boateng Wiafe,
  • Brigitte Mueller,
  • Cagatay Caglar,
  • Caleb Mpyet,
  • Carl H Abraham,
  • Carol Y Cheung,
  • Cassandra L Thiel,
  • Catherine L Jan,
  • Chike Emedike,
  • Chimgee Chuluunkhuu,
  • Chinomso Chinyere,
  • Christin Henein,
  • Clare E Gilbert,
  • Covadonga Bascaran,
  • Cristina Elena Nitulescu,
  • Daksha Patel,
  • Damodar Bachani,
  • Daniel Kiage,
  • Daniel Etya'ale,
  • David Dahdal,
  • Dawn Woo Lawson,
  • Denise Godin,
  • Dennis G Nkanga,
  • Dennis M Ondeyo,
  • Donna O'Brien,
  • Dorothy M Mutie,
  • Ebtisam S K Alalawi,
  • Eduardo Mayorga,
  • Effendy Bin Hashim,
  • Elham Ashrafi,
  • Elizabeth Andrew Kishiki,
  • Elizabeth Kurian,
  • Fabrizio D'Esposito,
  • Faith Masila,
  • Fernando Yaacov Pena,
  • Fortunat Büsch,
  • Fotis Topouzis,
  • Francesco Bandello,
  • Funmilayo J Oyediji,
  • Gabriele Thumann,
  • Gamal Ezz Elarab,
  • Gatera Fiston Kitema,
  • Gerhard Schlenther,
  • Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame,
  • Gillian M Cochrane,
  • Guna Laganovska,
  • Haroon R Awan,
  • Harris M Ansari,
  • Heiko Philippin,
  • Helen Burn,
  • Helen Dimaras,
  • Helena P Filipe,
  • Henrietta I Monye,
  • Himal Kandel,
  • Hoby Lalaina Randrianarisoa,
  • Iain Jones,
  • Ian E Murdoch,
  • Ido Didi Fabian,
  • Imran A Khan,
  • Indra P Sharma,
  • Islam Elbeih,
  • Islay Mactaggart,
  • J Carlos Pastor,
  • Jan E E Keunen,
  • Jane A Ohuma,
  • Jason Pithuwa Nirwoth,
  • Jaouad Hammou,
  • Jayme R Vianna,
  • Jean-eudes Biao,
  • Jennifer M Burr,
  • Jeremy D Keenan,
  • Jess Blijkers,
  • Joanna M Black,
  • Joao Barbosa Breda,
  • Joao M Furtado,
  • John C Buchan,
  • John G Lawrenson,
  • John H Kempen,
  • Joshua R Ehrlich,
  • Judith Stern,
  • Justine H Zhang,
  • Kadircan H Keskinbora,
  • Karin M Knoll,
  • Karl Blanchet,
  • Katrina L Schmid,
  • Koichi Ono,
  • Kolawole Ogundimu,
  • Komi Balo,
  • Kussome Paulin Somda,
  • Kwame Yeboah,
  • Kwesi N Amissah-Arthur,
  • Leone Nasehi,
  • Lene Øverland,
  • Lingam Vijaya,
  • Lisa Keay,
  • Lisa M Hamm,
  • Lizette Mowatt,
  • Lloyd C M Harrison-Williams,
  • Lucia Silva,
  • Luigi Bilotto,
  • Manfred Mörchen,
  • Mansur Rabiu,
  • Marcia Zondervan,
  • Margarida Chagunda,
  • Maria Teresa Sandinha,
  • Mariano Yee Melgar,
  • Marisela Salas Vargas,
  • Mark D Daniell,
  • Marzieh Katibeh,
  • Matt Broom,
  • Megan E Collins,
  • Mehmet Numan Alp,
  • Michael A Kwarteng,
  • Michael Belkin,
  • Michael Gichangi,
  • Michelle Sylvanowicz,
  • Min Wu,
  • Miriam R Cano,
  • Mohammad Shalaby,
  • Mona Duggal,
  • Moncef Khairallah,
  • Muhammed Batur,
  • Mukharram M Bikbov,
  • Muralidhar Ramappa,
  • Nagaraju Pamarathi,
  • Naira Khachatryan,
  • Nasiru Muhammad,
  • Neil Kennedy,
  • Neil Murray,
  • Nicholas A V Beare,
  • Nick Astbury,
  • Nicole A Carnt,
  • Nigel A St Rose,
  • Nigel H Barker,
  • Niranjan K Pehere,
  • Nkechinyere J Uche,
  • Noemi Lois,
  • Oluwaseun O Awe,
  • Oscar J Mujica,
  • Oteri E Okolo,
  • Padmaja Kumari Rani,
  • Paisan Ruamviboonsuk,
  • Papa Amadou Ndiaye,
  • Parami Dhakhwa,
  • Pavel Rozsival,
  • Pearl K Mbulawa,
  • Pearse A Keane,
  • Pete R Jones,
  • Peter Holland,
  • Phanindra Babu Nukella,
  • Philip I Burgess,
  • Pinar Aydin O'Dwyer,
  • Prabhath Piyasena,
  • Pradeep Bastola,
  • Priya Morjaria,
  • Qais Nasimee,
  • Raizza A T Rambacal,
  • Rajdeep Das,
  • Rajiv B Khandekar,
  • Rajvardhan Azad,
  • Ramona Bashshur,
  • Raúl A R C Sousa,
  • Rebecca Oenga,
  • Reeta Gurung,
  • Robert Geneau,
  • Robert J Jacobs,
  • Robert P Finger,
  • Robyn H Guymer,
  • Rodica Sevciuc,
  • Rohit C Khanna,
  • Ronnie George,
  • Ronnie Graham,
  • Ryo Kawasaki,
  • S May Ho,
  • Sailesh Kumar Mishra,
  • Sandeep Buttan,
  • Sandra S Block,
  • Sandra Talero,
  • Sangchul Yoon,
  • Sanil Joseph,
  • Sare Safi,
  • Sarity Dodson,
  • Sergio R Munoz,
  • Seydou Bakayoko,
  • Seyed Farzad Mohammadi,
  • Shabir Ahmad Muez,
  • Shahina Pardhan,
  • Shelley Hopkins,
  • Shwu-Jiuan Sheu,
  • Sidi Mohamed Coulibaly,
  • Silvana A Schellini,
  • Simon Arunga,
  • Simon R Bush,
  • Sobha Sivaprasad,
  • Solange R Salomao,
  • Srinivas Marmamula,
  • Stella N Onwubiko,
  • Stuti L Misra,
  • Subeesh Kuyyadiyil,
  • Sucheta Kulkarni,
  • Sudarshan khanal,
  • Sumrana Yasmin,
  • Suzana Nikolic Pavljasevic,
  • Suzanne S Gilbert,
  • Tasanee Braithwaite,
  • Tatiana Ghidirimschi,
  • Thulasiraj Ravilla,
  • Timothy R Fricke,
  • Tiziana Cogliati,
  • Tsehaynesh Kassa,
  • Tunde Peto,
  • Ute Dibb,
  • Van C Lansingh,
  • Victor H Hu,
  • Victoria M Sheffield,
  • Wanjiku Mathenge,
  • William H Dean,
  • Winifred Nolan,
  • Yoshimune Hiratsuka,
  • Yousaf Jamal Mahsood,
  • Yuddha Sapkota

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1
pp. e31 – e41

Abstract

Read online

Summary: Background: We undertook a Grand Challenges in Global Eye Health prioritisation exercise to identify the key issues that must be addressed to improve eye health in the context of an ageing population, to eliminate persistent inequities in health-care access, and to mitigate widespread resource limitations. Methods: Drawing on methods used in previous Grand Challenges studies, we used a multi-step recruitment strategy to assemble a diverse panel of individuals from a range of disciplines relevant to global eye health from all regions globally to participate in a three-round, online, Delphi-like, prioritisation process to nominate and rank challenges in global eye health. Through this process, we developed both global and regional priority lists. Findings: Between Sept 1 and Dec 12, 2019, 470 individuals complete round 1 of the process, of whom 336 completed all three rounds (round 2 between Feb 26 and March 18, 2020, and round 3 between April 2 and April 25, 2020) 156 (46%) of 336 were women, 180 (54%) were men. The proportion of participants who worked in each region ranged from 104 (31%) in sub-Saharan Africa to 21 (6%) in central Europe, eastern Europe, and in central Asia. Of 85 unique challenges identified after round 1, 16 challenges were prioritised at the global level; six focused on detection and treatment of conditions (cataract, refractive error, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, services for children and screening for early detection), two focused on addressing shortages in human resource capacity, five on other health service and policy factors (including strengthening policies, integration, health information systems, and budget allocation), and three on improving access to care and promoting equity. Interpretation: This list of Grand Challenges serves as a starting point for immediate action by funders to guide investment in research and innovation in eye health. It challenges researchers, clinicians, and policy makers to build collaborations to address specific challenges. Funding: The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Moorfields Eye Charity, National Institute for Health Research Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust, Sightsavers, The Fred Hollows Foundation, The Seva Foundation, British Council for the Prevention of Blindness, and Christian Blind Mission. Translations: For the French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic and Persian translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.