The Longevity Economy
Age-Related Vision Loss and Its Economic Cost
Why vision problems become more common with age, the large economic cost of untreated sight loss, and the simple treatments that give high returns.
As people age, vision problems become much more common. Many are treatable, yet millions of older people live with preventable or correctable sight loss.
Common causes
- Cataracts: clouding of the eye’s lens, the leading cause of blindness worldwide. It can be corrected with a short, low-cost operation.
- Presbyopia: the age-related loss of ability to focus on close objects, corrected with simple reading glasses.
- Glaucoma: damage to the optic nerve, often linked to eye pressure, which can cause irreversible sight loss if not treated early.
- Age-related macular degeneration: damage to the central part of the retina.
- Diabetic retinopathy: eye damage from diabetes.
The scale
The World Health Organization’s 2019 World Report on Vision estimated that at least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment, of whom at least 1 billion have an impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed. The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health estimated the global productivity loss from vision impairment at around 411 billion dollars a year.
High returns on treatment
Some of the most cost-effective health interventions in the world address vision:
- Cataract surgery restores sight in a short operation, often costing a modest amount in low-income settings.
- Reading glasses for presbyopia are very cheap. A randomised trial among tea pickers in India found that providing reading glasses increased productivity significantly.
- Screening for glaucoma and diabetic eye disease can prevent irreversible loss.
India’s efforts
India’s National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment has supported millions of cataract operations. Organisations like the Aravind Eye Care System, founded in 1976, pioneered high-volume, low-cost cataract surgery, using efficient systems and cross-subsidies where paying patients help fund free treatment for the poor.
A 62-year-old farmer's vision clouds over with cataracts, and he can no longer work or move around safely. His daughter stays home to help him. After a short, low-cost cataract operation, his sight is restored. He returns to work, and his daughter goes back to her job. One operation brings back two people's productivity and independence.
Living with sight loss
For people whose sight loss cannot be treated, rehabilitation, assistive technology, accessible environments and support services help maintain independence and participation, as covered elsewhere in EconReads.
Much age-related vision loss is preventable or treatable with low-cost interventions. Untreated sight loss is often a sign of limited access to care, not an inevitable result of age.
- Cataracts, presbyopia, glaucoma and macular degeneration become common with age.
- At least 1 billion people have vision impairment that was preventable or remains unaddressed.
- Cataract surgery and reading glasses are among the most cost-effective health interventions.
- India's programmes and Aravind's low-cost model have restored sight to millions.
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