Integrating people-centred eye and ear care within health systems
Vision and hearing loss are extremely common. In the WHO European Region approximately 90 million people have vision impairment or blindness, and 190 million people have hearing loss or deafness.
WHO works on strengthening 1) eye and vision care for vision impairment and blindness, and 2) ear and hearing care for hearing loss and deafness.
Sensory functions are vital to our connections with the people and world around us and to actively engaging in society. Eye and ear conditions are remarkably common, and they affect child development, educational achievement, quality of life, social well-being and economic independence. Most of the movements we make, tasks we complete and personal interactions we nurture rely on sight and hearing. Sensory impairments affect people of all ages.
WHO/Europe supports Member States in strengthening eye and vision care, as well as ear and hearing care. Technical support focuses on the integration of people-centred care in national health systems to ensure equitable access to services for all those who need them, without financial hardship, in accordance with the principles of universal health coverage. This work supports health systems and societies in fully including people with sensory impairment.
WHO/Europe also raises awareness on the prevalence and consequences of eye and ear conditions, so that sensory impairments are no longer “invisible disabilities”. We advocate for affordable, accessible, appropriate and inclusive eye and ear care; we strengthen research and evidence related to eye and ear conditions and their care; and we help with setting, monitoring and surveilling people-centred eye and ear care targets.
