More than 92.9% cases of blindness in Indians, over 50 years, can be prevented!
~ IAPB data shows ‘more than doubling’ of near vison loss cases from the year 1990 to 2020
~ “Prevent the preventable” with ‘Hope In Sight’ with regular eye checks: Allergan and IAPB’s call to action
Chennai, 8 October 2020: Today is World Sight Day, observed each year to focus attention on vision impairment and blindness. New data from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) indicate that in India, cases of moderate and severe visual impairment have almost doubled from 40.6 million in 1990 to 79 million in 2020 and cases of near vision loss have more than doubled from 57.7 million to 137.6 million during the same time period.
In India, about 92.9% of cases of blindness amongst people over the age of 50 years can be avoided, according to the National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey1 2015-2019. This stresses the need for regular check-ups and early detection of vision impairing conditions especially amongst the vulnerable like young school-going children, women, the elderly, those with diabetes and people with family history of glaucoma
Speaking on World Sight Day, Suresh Pattathil, Managing Director, Allergan India Pvt. Ltd, said, “Vision loss effects both the health and wellbeing of a person. 75% of vision loss can be cured or prevented. According to several ophthalmologists, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to patients skipping their regular eye check-up, this has led to a worsening of vision impairment in some cases. On this World Sight Day, we urge everyone to ‘prevent the preventable’ and protect their eyesight. Consider an eye check-up as important as a body check-up, especially if you knowingly or unknowingly have a condition that could lead to vision loss.”
| Some important facts about visual impairment/blindness in India6
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| · Blindness in India affects 1 in approximately 300 people (0.36%) with 1 person in 50 above the age of 50 yrs (1.99%)
· Visual Impairment in India affects 1 in approximately 40 people (2.55%) with 1 person in 7 above the age of 50 yrs (13.76%) · Top 5 Causes of Blindness that contribute to ~ 92.2% cases of blindness in age ≥ 50 Years are untreated cataract, non – trachomatous corneal opacity, cataract surgery complications, other posterior segment disorders, glaucoma · ~1 in 6 diabetic patients suffer from Retinopathy · Approximately 18.6% of children suffer with severe visual impairment/ blindness due to Vitamin A Deficiency · ~ 20,000 new cases of visual impairment/blindness get added every year, 1.2 Lakh corneally blind people require cornea for transplantation to get back their vision, majority of them are young |
Peter Holland, CEO, IAPB said: “Our world is facing unprecedented challenges this year, but the demand for eye health does not stop. World Sight Day offers us a time to celebrate the promise and hope in sight. New data is showing us the magnitude of eye care need; we must work together to ensure eye health is available to all who need it.”
Earlier this year, Allergan, the IAPB and international NGO Sightsavers launched the “Keep Sight” initiative to create awareness and screen people for glaucoma in Ganjam district in Odisha. This is a community-based glaucoma screening program to identify glaucoma-related vision loss amongst people in the community. The program also trains healthcare professionals to screen people at a high risk and provide the necessary treatment and eye care. So far, over 13,500 people have been screened for glaucoma and more than 1273 referred to a hospital for treatment.
About Diabetic Retinopathy and Glaucoma
India is home to over 77 million adults with diabetes. Uncontrolled and high blood sugar levels can over time damage the blood vessels in the eyes causing diabetic retinopathy which can ultimately lead to blindness 2,3. Similarly, Glaucoma is the second 4,5 leading cause of irreversible blindness in India5 with at least 12 million people affected5 and nearly 1.2 million people blind from the disease5. Glaucoma being a silent disease with no major symptoms in the beginning, more than 90 percent of cases of glaucoma remain undiagnosed in the community.
About Allergan Eye Care
As a leader in eye care, Allergan has discovered, developed, and delivered some of the most innovative products in the industry for more than 70 years. Allergan has launched over 125 eye care products and invested billions of dollars in new treatments for the most prevalent eye conditions including glaucoma, ocular surface disease, and retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion. Our eye care pipeline includes over a dozen additional agents for multiple ocular conditions.
We remain steadfast in helping eye care providers deliver the best in patient care through innovative products and outreach programs.
About AbbVie
AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About the International Association for the Prevention of Blindness
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is the coordinating membership organisation leading international efforts in blindness prevention activities. IAPB’s mission is to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment by bringing together governments and
non-governmental agencies to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of sustainable national eye care programmes. For more information, please visit: https://www.iapb.org/
About Sightsavers
Sightsavers is an international organisation that works in more than 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and advocate for social inclusion and equal rights for people with disabilities. It is a registered UK charity (Registered charity numbers 207544 and SC038110) www.sightsavers.org
Forward-Looking Statement
Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project” and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, failure to realize the expected benefits from AbbVie’s acquisition of Allergan plc (“Allergan”), failure to promptly and effectively integrate Allergan’s businesses, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry and the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie’s operations is set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of AbbVie’s 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.
