10 facts about blindness and visual impairment

October 2012

Visual impairment often limits people’s ability to perform everyday tasks and affects their quality of life. Blindness, the most severe form of visual impairment, reduces people’s ability to move about unaided unless properly trained.

However, most forms of visual impairment including blindness can be avoided or can be readily treated or cured with known and cost-effective interventions.

This fact file highlights figures for blindness and visual impairment worldwide.

Read the fact file

Related links

• Prevention of blindness and visual impairment
• Fact sheet on visual impairment and blindness