Sightsavers is a non-profit organization founded by Sir John Wilson with a vision of eliminating preventable blindness globally by 2020. The document outlines key facts about blindness including that 37 million people are blind worldwide and 75% of cases are avoidable. It also summarizes Sightsavers' programs in cataract surgery, river blindness, trachoma, childhood blindness, low vision, inclusive education and community-based rehabilitation in 33 countries. Sightsavers works with ministries of health, local NGOs, and organizations for the blind to provide eye care services and build capacity.

2. Sir John Wilson:
A founder’s vision
An organisation “strong
enough to command
attention, big enough to
span continents, yet simple
enough to do something
meaningful against the
realities of an African
village.”

3. Sightsavers’ vision
“A world in which no-one is needlessly blind
and where everyone who is irreversibly blind
or severely visually impaired enjoys the same
rights, responsibilities and opportunities as
people who are sighted”.

4. Blindness: The Facts…
• Every 5 seconds, someone goes blind
• A child goes blind every minute
• 37 million blind people in the world
• Annual cost est. $25 billion (WHO)
• Social/humanitarian cost incalculable

5. The figures…
• 90% of the world’s blind and visually impaired live in
developing world
• 50% of the world’s blind children need not be blind
• 50% of children who go blind die within two years

6. Causes of Blindness
• Cataract – 47.8%
• Glaucoma – 12.3%
• Macular Degeneration – 8.7%
• Corneal opacity – 5.1%
• Diabetic Retinopathy – 4.8%
• Childhood Blindness – 3.9%
• Trachoma – 3.6%
• Onchocerciasis – 0.8%
• Other – 13%

7. BUT
75% of blindness is
avoidable or preventable
AND
it’s cheap and simple to address

8. Vision 2020
Sightsavers is a founding member of
VISION 2020, a unique global
collaboration of leading eye care agencies
that aims to eliminate avoidable blindness
by the year 2020

9. VISION 2020
Since its establishment in 1990, significant achievements
have been made in the prevention and management of
blindness, including:
• Increased public awareness and utilisation of eye care services
• Increased availability and affordability of eye care services
• More effective primary eye care activities as an integral part of
primary health care means improved case finding and referral
• Increased global political commitment to blindness prevention
• Increased commitment and support of NGOs

10. Sightsavers
Presence in 33 countries
Restored sight to over 5.5 million
Treated over 100 million for
conditions that threaten sight
In 2006 we:
Screened over 4.6 million people
Treated over 3 million
Supported 277,393 eye operations

11. Sightsavers’ Programmes

12. Cataract
Sightsavers:
•Supports training for cataract surgeons
& ophthalmologists
•Provides the equipment & consumables
necessary to perform surgery
•Builds/refurbishes eye clinics with to
provide surgical facilities
•Raises awareness in the community
about cataract & how to treat it

13. River Blindness

14. River Blindness

15. Trachoma

16. Trachoma

17. Childhood Blindness

18. Childhood Blindness

19. Low Vision

20. Inclusive Education

21. Community Based Rehabilitation

22. Training
Sightsavers supports training for
eye care personnel at all levels:
•Community based workers
•Ophthalmic paramedics
•Technicians
•Ophthalmologists

23. Comprehensive Eye Services

24. Comprehensive Eye Services
• Preventative, community based services
• Sight restoring surgery
• Services for irreversibly blind children and
adults
• Training for all levels of eye care personnel
• Good referral links between services
• Typically serve a population of 1 million

25. Working with Partners
Sightsavers works with partners in all
countries, including:
• Governments (Ministries of Health and
Education)
• Locally based NGOs
• Rotary & Lions groups
• Organisations of and for the blind

26. Working with partners
Sightsavers supports partners through:
• Training in management, finance,
technology, fundraising & advocacy
• Building their capacity to offer services
through infrastructural development