World Sight Day: Avoidable sight loss costs Indian economy USD 27 bn per year

Avoidable sight loss would add USD 27 billion per year to Indias economy according to a global study released on Wednesday ahead of the World Sight DayHeld on the second Thursday of October each year World Sight Day organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness IAPB is a UNrecognised international event dedicated to draw attention to the global issue of visual impairmentThe theme this year is Love Your Eyes at Work which highlights the significance of eyecare at workplacesThe Indian economy loses more to avoidable sight loss than any other country barring China and the US according to the research by IAPB a global alliance of organisations working towards the elimination of avoidable blindness and vision impairment As technology transforms the world of work the future economy will be dominated by service industries and officebased jobs involving the prolonged use of screens Without proper precautions this can lead to eye strain and negatively impact eye healthThe research also led by Kevin Frick from Johns Hopkins University US drew on GNI per capita data from the World Bank The data was used to estimate the productivity losses in people aged between 5065 years with moderate to severe vision impairment and blindness due to uncorrected refractive error or unoperated cataractIndia with currently 70 million people with visual impairment had the thirdhighest potential savings of all countries in the studySight loss costs the global economy USD 411 billion every year according to the Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye HealthAn estimated 30 per cent of people with sight loss experience a reduction in employment with women people in rural communities and ethnic minority groups among the groups most affected However 90 per cent of sight loss is avoidable with early detection and treatmentPreventing sight loss with early detection and treatment for eye conditions like cataracts and myopia is vital to protect livelihoods and allow businesses to thriveBusiness leaders have played a vital role in raising awareness of workplace wellbeing from mental health to menopause said Peter Holland CEO of IAPB and Love Your Eyes campaign spokesperson in a statementWhether its through eye health education connecting employees with eye health services adding eye health to insurance plans or adjusting screen settings there are many ways to build a visionfriendly work environment and create healthier happier workersNobody should experience avoidable sight loss and no business should miss out on the boost that better eye health brings to their bottom line Holland addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever