Nepal shoulders one of the largest burdens of global blindness
A person is “functionally blind,” as defined by the World Health Organization, when he or she is unable to perform the tasks of daily living that are needed to survive. Blindness defined for international health purposes is when an individual cannot count fingers at 10 feet.
Worldwide, there are over 50 million blind people and a further 180 million suffering from serious visual impairments.
The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of these live in developing countries. Nepal shoulders one of the largest burdens of global blindness with more than 600,000 blind or visually impaired. That figure is expected to increase by 20% per annum.
A blind or partially sighted person living in Nepal, faces a desperate future, entirely dependent on others with limited or no opportunities for education or work. Blindness is particularly devastating in the developing world where it has a profound impact on the quality of life for the blind person and his or her community.
Life expectancy of the blind in developing countries is usually less than half that of someone with eyesight the same age. The desperateness of this situation is augmented by the fact that a blind person is unable to contribute to the family income.
When a person goes blind in a rural area, he or she can expect to live for about 3 years. In the Himalaya, where there are few paved roads and the terrain is rugged and mountainous, mobility is extremely difficult. No social services exist and blind individuals cannot contribute to family income.
Their need for constant care from another family member reduces the family earning potential still further and as a result, many feel that they are a burden to their families and have very little self-confidence. They are marginalized and neglected and often become objects of pity within local communities.
Causes of blindness in Nepal are cataracts, glaucoma, corneal, trachoma, uncorrected refractive error and childhood blindness. Malnutrition and Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the leading cause of blindness in children and pregnant women.
Agricultural workers often get infections when they remove the chaff from the wheat and rice by hand – this material can hit an eye, damaging the cornea and may result in corneal scarring.
Injuries from faulty weapons and land mines are on the increase
Locally used remedies for eye injuries include dirty water, honey, mud and even cow dung.
80% of these conditions are preventable if caught in time.
Key facts and figures at a glance
Nepal: The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Population: 25,371,000 million
Capital: Kathmandu; Population 741,000
Political: Nepal is an independent state under a constitutional monarchy
Area: 147,181 km2 (56,827 square miles)
Language: Nepali, English, many other languages and dialects
Religion: Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim
Currency: Nepalese rupee
Life Expectancy: Male 64.3 yrs / female 66.67 yrs (2009 Est.)
GDP per Capita: U.S. $1,400
Poverty Line: 69% of the population live below the poverty line of $2USD / day
Literacy Percent: 45% of population
Number of Doctors: 21 per 100,000 people
Number of Ophthalmologists: 150 / 25 million population
Blindness in Nepal: 600,000 blind or partially sighted
Industry: Tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes; cement and brick production
Agriculture: Rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, milk
Exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
More Information
Poverty
About half of the population lives below the international poverty line on US$1.25 a day.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and its economic development has been hindered by the lack of political stability, limited natural resources, rapid population growth and heavy reliance on agriculture. Over 80% of the population are subsistence farmers, living in rural areas.
Health
The overall poor health of the Nepalese population is the result of inadequate health services, the inequitable distribution of these services and widespread poverty. There is also a great inequality in the health of the Nepalese across the three geographical regions of the country.
Geography
Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia and, as of 2010, the world’s most recent nation to become a republic. It is bordered to the north by the People’s Republic of China (Tibet), and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India.
Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha, known in English as Mount Everest. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. It contains over 240 peaks more than 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.
Due to its geographical location and dramatic landscape, Nepal is very susceptible to natural disasters including earthquakes, floods and landslides.
Politics
A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. In 2006, however, a decade-long People’s Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal culminated in a peace accord, and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic in May 28, 2008. The first President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, was sworn in on 23 July 2008.
Language
Nepal’s diverse linguistic heritage evolved from four major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, Mongolian and various indigenous language isolates. The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (48.61%), Maithili (12.30%), Bhojpuri (7.53%), Tharu (5.86%), Tamang (5.19%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.63%), Magar (3.39%), Awadhi (2.47%), Rai (2.79%), Limbu (1.47%), and Bajjika (1.05%).
Religion
By some measures, Hinduism is practiced by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. The overwhelming majority in Nepal follow Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country. Nepal is home to the largest Shiva temple in the world, the famous Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Sita Devi of the epic Ramayana was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja.
Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of the Buddha.
www.the-voyagers.tripod.com/factsabout.htm
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/nepal-facts/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal www.cureblindness.org www.seeinghandsnepal.com www.who.int/Nepal. http://www.hollows.org.uk/ www.unicef.org.uk http://www.indexmundi.com/nepal/life_expectancy_at_birth.html