Eye health in the Western Pacific Region

Overview

Eye health is a universal yet underprioritized health and development issue in the Western Pacific Region. Vision impairment exacts a heavy toll across the life course, limiting educational attainment, workforce participation and quality of life, and disproportionately affects women, older adults, Indigenous communities and people in rural and remote areas. The burden is projected to rise with population ageing and the growing prevalence of noncommunicable eye conditions, notably diabetic retinopathy, while myopia is increasing rapidly among children and young people. Eye Health in the Western Pacific Region is the Region's first report of its kind. It synthesizes evidence on the magnitude and causes of vision impairment, provides a snapshot of eye health system capacity, and outlines recommendations, strategies and tools to support countries in advancing integrated people-centred eye care. The report recognizes progress across the Region, including policy development, workforce expansion and advances towards trachoma elimination. It also identifies persistent challenges, including fragmented services, limited integration into primary health care, financial barriers, workforce shortages and weak information systems. As most vision impairment is preventable or treatable with existing cost-effective interventions, the report calls for sustained political commitment, adequate financing and integration of eye care across health systems and sectors to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage and the 2030 global eye care targets endorsed by the World Health Assembly.