Delegates and participants
Partners and colleagues
Our sight is more than just a sense; it is the cornerstone of our well-being, our productivity, and indeed, our national development. Eye health is a critical driver of education, employment, and overall quality of life, touching nearly every one of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Yet, a stark reality persists: millions across our region still needlessly endure preventable or treatable visual impairment.
Globally, a staggering 2.2 billion people live with some form of vision impairment. Of those, a significant 30% reside right here, in our region. What makes this even more tragic is that at least one billion of these cases could have been prevented or have yet to be addressed. The future also presents a challenge, with projections estimating an additional 200 million children and adolescents will develop myopia between 2000 and 2050.
Aligned with World Health Assembly resolution WHA73.4, our Member States adopted the ambitious Regional Action Plan for Integrated People-Centred Eye Care 2022–2030. This plan commits us to bold global targets:
A 30-percentage-point increase in effective cataract surgery coverage (eCSC);
A 40-percentage-point increase in effective refractive error coverage (eREC).
It also aims at ensuring that 80% of people with diabetes are regularly screened and treated for diabetic retinopathy.
Despite the challenges, the progress so far is encouraging.
Bhutan, Nepal, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste have launched the SPECS 2030 initiative.
In addition, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives are developing comprehensive national eye health strategies that integrate SPECS principles.
This meeting offers an opportunity to evaluate collective progress and refine future strategies.
Formation of a Regional Eye Health Service Provider Network would be an important area of discussion. This network can encourage cooperation among tertiary eye hospitals, WHO collaborating centers, and national programs. It can enhance capacity building, promote best practices, and support the collection of high-quality data to inform policies effectively.
Discussions would also take place on two critical regional documents -
An overview of diabetic retinopathy services in the WHO South-East Asia region.
The essential Implementation Guide for Screening and Referral of Diabetic Retinopathy in Primary Health Care.
These are important tools for ensuring that people living with diabetes receive timely, integrated eye care as part of comprehensive Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) management.
I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to each of you for your partnership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to advance the cause of eye health across our Region.
My deep thanks to Aravind Eye Care System, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Ophthalmology, for its steadfast support and invaluable contributions to this meeting.
I would also like to acknowledge the other WHO Collaborating Centres that have played a vital role in strengthening eye health — the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS in New Delhi, and the Tilganga Eye Hospital in Nepal.
These institutions stand as exemplars of excellence in service, research, and innovation — and together with our NGOs and international partners, they continue to drive progress toward the goal of eye care for all.
With our continued collaboration, I am confident that we can ensure a future where quality eye health services are accessible to everyone, everywhere.
No one in the region should lose their sight from preventable causes. Together, everyone should enjoy the right to sight.
Thank you.