The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging for a stronger integration of eye care services within health systems across Africa, emphasizing the need for increased investment and targeted strategies to enhance access to quality vision services.
In a statement released on Wednesday, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, made this appeal in recognition of World Sight Day, which will be observed globally on October 9, 2025.
Janabi noted that the day serves to raise public awareness about the significance of eye health and to promote action aimed at reducing preventable vision loss and blindness, particularly in low-resource environments.
He revealed that as of 2021, only 32 percent of WHO member states had established national policies specifically focused on vision loss and blindness, indicating a substantial gap in prioritizing eye health.
“This limited policy coverage reflects broader challenges in resource allocation and health planning for eye care,” he stated. “The current levels of service coverage highlight the magnitude of unmet vision health needs.”
Janabi reported that effective cataract surgery coverage in the African region is just 26 percent, meaning only one in four individuals affected by cataracts achieves a satisfactory visual outcome post-surgery. Additionally, he noted that effective coverage for correcting refractive errors, such as through eyeglasses, is approximately 30 percent, indicating that one in three individuals with visual impairments has received the necessary vision correction.
“These statistics underscore the urgent need for stronger integration of eye care within health systems, increased investment, and people-centered strategies to ensure quality eye care services are accessible to all,” he emphasized.
He pointed out that good vision plays a crucial role in overall well-being, education, productivity, and employment, while vision impairment remains a significant public health issue that is expected to escalate without immediate intervention.
While acknowledging progress in reducing vision loss from diseases such as trachoma, vitamin A deficiency, and onchocerciasis, Janabi warned that new challenges are emerging across the continent. These challenges include aging populations, inadequate awareness of eye health, unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases that increase the risk of cataracts and refractive errors.
“To address these growing challenges, several strategic global initiatives have been launched, including Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, which aims to eliminate avoidable blindness,” he explained.
Janabi stated that the Vision 2020 initiative focuses on scaling up affordable and sustainable cataract services while enhancing national capacities to eliminate preventable blindness by establishing eye health infrastructure and a skilled workforce.
He also highlighted the World Health Assembly’s 2021 resolution WHA74(12), which calls on member states to implement integrated, people-centered eye care and meet global coverage targets for refractive errors and cataracts by 2030. Under this resolution, countries are expected to increase effective refractive error coverage by 40 percentage points and cataract surgery coverage by 30 percentage points by the 2030 deadline.
Janabi introduced the SPECS 2030 initiative, launched by WHO in June 2024, which aims to provide universal access to affordable and quality refractive error services by the decade’s end. This initiative focuses on improving service delivery, reducing costs, expanding the eye care workforce, raising public awareness, and strengthening national surveillance and data systems.
So far, eight African member states have initiated implementation of SPECS 2030, with some actively engaging stakeholders and preparing national work plans, while others are still in the planning stages.
Despite these efforts, Janabi acknowledged that significant challenges persist in ensuring equitable access to sustainable eye care services, particularly in underserved communities throughout the African region. He called for intensified actions in line with resolution WHA78.7, which urges member states to incorporate sensory care into health benefit packages and secure ongoing funding for such initiatives.
Countries are also encouraged to increase training for eye health professionals, incorporate sensory health indicators into national data systems, and develop inclusive strategies based on WHO technical guidance.
Janabi concluded by emphasizing that platforms like World Sight Day should be utilized by governments to promote early detection, reduce stigma, and empower individuals living with vision and sensory impairments. He urged countries to adopt WHO tools, including situation analysis frameworks, data instruments, and the free WHO Eyes smartphone app for vision screening, to bolster policy and advocacy efforts.
