Our work

Relevance of our interventions
Relevance of our interventions

Eye health facts from across the world [1]

  • 2.2 billion people around the world live with a vision impairment and in at least 1 billion of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.
  • 75% of visual impairment is avoidable and curable with eyewear and eye surgery.
  • 89% of visually impaired people live in low and middle income countries.
  • 555% of visually impaired people are women.
  • 1.1 billion people with near-vision impairment simply because they do not have a pair of spectacles.
  • 100% of people need reading glasses as they age due to hardening of the eye lens.
  • Visual impairment will triple worldwide by 2050 due to the ageing of the population.

[1] Sources: World Report on Vision from the World Health Organization and Vision Atlas from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

IAPB_Why it matters (1)

IAPB_Why it matters (2)

WHO – World Report on Vision

WHO – World Report on Vision (2)

According to eye-care specialists, the socio-economic benefits of an effective care are far greater than the costs of non-treatment.

Relevance of our interventions

IRIS Mundial’s activities help to reduce blindness prevalence and vision impairment among impoverished people, thereby they improve their quality of life and their participation in the socio-economic development of their community.

Economic benefits:

  • An increase in motor skills;
  • An increased employment opportunities and incomes;
  • A reduction of the economic burden on the family;
  • An increase in the community productivity;
  • A higher employability rate, especially among women

Social benefits:

  • A reduction of social exclusion;
  • An increased participation in daily activities and leisure;
  • A preservation of social status, self-esteem and well-being

Childhood benefits:

80% of a child’s learning is mainly through his vision. Therefore, the importance of an adequate vision must be considered as a key factor which affects a child’s education and learning abilities in school. Considering this, IRIS Mundial contributes to reducing visual impairments that can cause headaches, difficulty focusing, visual fatigue, blurred vision or even poor perception of distances which can affect motor coordination.

Aminata, the seamstress who can work again

Here is Aminata, a lady in her fifties who lives in Senegal. She could no longer do her job as a seamstress, as she could no longer see the sewing threads and needles well. In fact, with age, she developed presbyopia which prevents her from focusing closely which leaves her unable to carry out her job, or even to read. Thanks to the pair of reading glasses that she was able to get through the permanent program in Saint-Louis, she will be able to start working again!