Millennium Development Goals and Vision 2020

Abstract

VISION 2020 aims to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness by the year 2020 by bringing together governments, non-governmental agencies, eye care professionals, and other organizations involved in blindness prevention, to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of sustainable national eye care programmes. This vision is based on three core strategies of disease control, human resource development and infrastructure development, incorporating the principles of primary health care. The successful implementation of VISION 2020 would not only reduce individual suffering, but would also provide significant social and economic benefits. Visual impairment brings profound economic disadvantage to individuals, their families and societies. With 90% of blind people living in developing countries, it is not surprising that such investments make a significant contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The economic benefits of VISION 2020 can be translated positively into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Seven of the eight MDGs depend on measures linked to the implementation of VISION 2020. This means that progress towards the goals of VISION 2020 will also help governments to achieve the MDG objectives – a win-win situation.

Keywords

• cataract blindness
• childhood blindness
• vision 2020