1. Meeting with European institutions 1 st April #ECVeyehealthEU

2. Key points Need to tackle eye health and vision ‘epidemic’ About the European Coalition for Vision The Global context: WHO Action Plan Manifesto and asks

3. Increasing threats to Eyes ”Europe is facing an invisible epidemic, with an estimated 20.4 million Europeans suffering from serious vision impairment - including 2.3 million who are blind. These worrying numbers will only increase with the rise of diabetes and other conditions like refractive error and cataract “

4. Preventing Sight Loss 2/3 of visual impairment in Western Europe is avoidable – it could be easily treated and sight restored Inadequate and inequitable services mean around 8.5m people in Western Europe live with a disabling vision problem

5.  Improve the vision and eye health of the peoples of Europe as an economic and public health priority.  Tackle the rapidly increasing scale and costs of preventable sight loss now and in the future.  Protect and support the rights of people with, or at risk of, sight loss. European Coalition for Vision

6. Strength in Diversity ‘Membership of the Coalition will be open to organisations that are active in Europe and who are willing to work in a collaborative way to bring their collective experience, expertise and resources together to address the purpose and objectives’ NGOs/ DPOs Professional organisations Associations of health providers/suppliers Research bodies

7. 30m diabetics in EU increasing to 35m by 2030 1 in 3 diabetics has some form Diabetic Retinopathy 1 in 10 diabetics has sight threatening DR Emerging challenges: diabetes

8. If you are aged 50 – 69 then you have a 1 in 10 chance of having a disabling vision disorder Aged ≥ 70y and it rises to 4 in 10. Presently around 18% of the European population is ≥65y old By 2050 around 30% of the population will be ≥65y old Emerging challenges: aging

9. Causes of blindness in Western Europe Disease% of blindness% of seriously disabling visual impairment Macular degeneration16.15.4 Cataract13.8 Uncorrected refractive error1447.3 Glaucoma10.63.4 Diabetic retinopathy 4.23

10. Rupert Bourne, Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study, Presentation for ECV 2013

11. Four World Health Assembly Resolutions and Two Action Plans 2009 and 2013 WHA 62.1 2009 Universal Access to Eye Health: A Global Action Plan, 2014 – 2019 WHA 66.11 2013 http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA66/A66_11-en.pdf Implementation at country level WHO Global Action Plan

12. Implementation of Global Action Plan 2014-19: Towards Universal eye health IAPB ©

13. ECV Launch Strasbourg 4 th Feb 2014

15. Towards Universal Eye Health in Europe (I)  Importance of early screening and timely intervention  Address the evolving challenges in demographics and epidemiology (aging, diabetics)  Tackling health inequalities: ensuring financial costs and other barriers do not impede access  Promotion of eye health across the health continuum, including health determinants and rehabilitation

16. Towards Universal Eye Health in Europe (II)  Integration of eye health within equitable health systems  Gaps in health data on eye health and on sight loss must be overcome  Promoting inclusion of persons with vision impairment through reasonable accommodation, accessible design, provision of assistive devices

17. The future is challenging: waiting is not an option for Europe Lifestyles: screens are everywhere Aging population Myopia epidemic Cost of health systems increase Aging workers Road traffic growth

18. Benefits for Europe Better mental health (sight loss links to depression) good vision prevents accident risks (on road, at home, at work). importance of good vision for children to learn, for sports, to play…) Promotion of gender equality (women can be at greater risk) Significant health, welfare, and productivity savings Social and economic Inclusion and well- being of those affected and families

19. #ECVeyehealthEU