The global problem of blindness and visual dysfunction

Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan

doi:10.1117/12.928050

11 October 2012 The global problem of blindness and visual dysfunction

Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan

Proceedings Volume 8482, Photonic Innovations and Solutions for Complex Environments and Systems (PISCES); 84820A (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.928050
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2012, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

According to World Health Organization statistics there are approximately 285 million people who are blind, have severe low vision, or are near-blind. Of these, 39 million are blind, and 246 million have low vision problems. About 90% of these live in developing countries. The major causes are uncorrected refractive errors (42%), and cataracts (38%). In the US, there are about 6 million people over the age of 65 who have age-related macular degeneration which is the leading cause of blindness. For each decade after age 40, it is found that there is a three-fold increase in the prevalence of blindness and low vision. This paper will address the question of what can we, as optical physicists and engineers, do? There is a need for efficient methods to detect problems, investigate function, provide solutions, and develop rehabilitation devices for the visually impaired. Here I will sketch out the magnitude and variety of the problem, examples and future research directions.

Citation Download Citation

Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan "The global problem of blindness and visual dysfunction", Proc. SPIE 8482, Photonic Innovations and Solutions for Complex Environments and Systems (PISCES), 84820A (11 October 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.928050

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