Omen writes

M y column in November focused on the role of Vision 2020 in the UK but our problems look insignificant beside a total of over 300 million around the world who are visually impaired of whom 90 per cent live in developing countries.

Of that figure, half simply need a refraction and a pair of spectacles. Even more shocking is that 75 per cent of this is avoidable. In addition to the 300 million there are around another 100 to 300 million presbyopes in need of a pair of spectacles to allow them to continue to work and feed their families. And believe it or not it was only in 2004 that the World Health Organisation included refractive error on its list of the major causes of visual impairment.