New research published in the British Medical Journal has revealed a strong association between visual impairment and poverty in Pakistan. Dr Clare Gilbert, first author of the paper, said: 'Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of blindness.'
The survey, conducted by the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology in Peshwar, with support from the International Centre for Eye Health in London, examined 16,507 adults over the ages of 30 and identified 561 blind individuals.
One of the paper's key findings was that the prevalence of blindness is significantly higher in poorer households and deprived areas of Pakistan. It discovered that spectacle and cataract surgical coverage were lower in poorer areas and among women.
The survey was co-funded by Sightsavers International.