Global economic productivity losses from vision impairment and blindness

In the absence of accessible, good quality eye health services and inclusive environments, vision loss can impact individuals, households and communities in many ways, including through increased poverty, reduced quality of life and reduced employment. This study aimed to estimate the annual potential productivity losses associated with reduced employment due to blindness and moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI) at a regional and global level. The authors found that the overall relative reduction in employment by people with vision loss was 30.2%. The annual cost of potential productivity losses of MSVI and blindness was $410.7 billion ppp.