Too Poor to See – Can’t See to Work: The Link Between Poverty and Poor Sight

While many of us take our vision for granted every day, when prompted, we would likely prize it above all other senses. For those of us with good vision, even if we have to rely on glasses and contact lenses to achieve it, it’s easy to forget how fortunate we are to see so clearly the world around us and the many wonders it holds.

Thankfully, many people in developed countries are able to access the visual aids they need with ease. But for many around the world, this simply isn’t the case. And if you’re one of the tens of millions of people in the country who rely on glasses or contacts, you’ll appreciate how difficult life can be without them.

Without glasses or contact lenses, your computer screen may become a foggy blur, your phone a useless brick, and the road ahead an unknown outline. In other words, if you were to lose your medical aids, many tasks and activities would likely become inaccessible to you. Not only would it be difficult to go about your daily life, but also to earn a living.

You may have experienced such a limitation for a short time. Perhaps you lost or broke your glasses, or packed your overnight bag without your contact lenses. While for many, this can be quickly remedied with the purchase of a new pair of glasses or contact lenses, eye care poverty is a growing concern in the UK as people are increasingly forgoing eye care due to financial constraints.

And this problem is seen to an even more significant extent in developing countries, where access to eye care can be limited.

Poverty and Poor Vision: A Vicious Cycle

More than one billion people around the world live with some form of visual impairment. The majority of these people live in low- and middle-income regions where eye care services are often limited or inaccessible. As a result, while 90% of vision impairments may be considered preventable with simple interventions, the costs associated with eye care remain impossible for many.

Vision problems, including cataracts and common refractive errors such as myopia (short-sightedness) and hyperopia (long-sightedness), can create barriers to education and employment. But while these issues can usually be easily addressed with visual aids, routine cataract surgery, or Laser Eye Surgery, not everyone has equal access to these solutions, deepening a vicious cycle of poverty.

Moreover, various studies into the association between vision impairment and eye diseases and quality of life have found that ophthalmic interventions can have a significant positive impact.

As you can see, improving access to eye care is not only essential for breaking this cycle of poverty. Access to treatments and visual aids helps to improve the financial situations of people in the poorest areas of the globe, and can also significantly improve their quality of life.

The London Vision Clinic Foundation

At London Vision Clinic, we believe that high-quality eye care should be available to all. That’s why we launched the London Vision Clinic Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing eye care and Laser Eye Surgery to people in some of the most remote and deprived areas.

For over a decade, we have been working alongside local doctors to provide vision correction to those who need it most. We teamed up with the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Nepal to provide Laser Eye Surgery to patients with preventable vision impairment due to refractive error, who otherwise may have been unable to access treatment.

We believe that clear vision should be available to all. To find out more about our treatments and finance options, get in touch with one of our friendly clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today.