Being blind in the developed world is bad enough, but being blind in the developing world can mean the end of your life.
Of all the senses, the one that we all prize most highly is our sight. People say I’d rather lose my hearing than my sight, lose my legs rather than my sight. Without sight, our experience of the world is dramatically reduced. But, more importantly, without sight our ability to function is compromised; it suddenly becomes very difficult to drive, use a computer, use a mobile phone, play sport, or even just walk around.
Even in the developed world, a blind person needs to tap a cane along the pavement to get around by themselves; imagine what that would be like if you were a farmer in the Himalayas! Being blind in the developed world is bad enough, but being blind in the developing world can mean the end of your life. Life expectancy of the blind in developing countries is usually less than half that of someone with good eyesight.
When a person goes blind in a rural area, they can expect to live for only about 3 years.
In the developing world, losing your sight usually means that you are no longer able to work. If you cannot see to weave a basket, you cannot weave a basket. If you cannot see to sow the seeds or harvest the crops, then you cannot help with these tasks either. Suddenly you are no longer able to work, no longer able to earn money, and no longer able to support your family.
What’s worse is you become a burden on your family, both because you are not earning but also because you require constant care which prevents another family member from working. You are a mouth, with no hands.
Every five seconds, one person in the world goes blind. 37 million people in the world are blind, however if they had access to quality eye care, 80% of the world’s blindness would be totally avoidable.