Research focuses on need for universal eye health coverage

“Universal eye health: a global action plan 2014-2019,” endorsed by the member states of the World Health Organization during the 2013 World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, sets a global road map for the development of eye care services. The need for further research was repeatedly highlighted in various sections of the eye health action plan specifically because of the recognized need to focus available resources toward the most cost-effective interventions and develop innovative approaches to prevent and cure eye diseases.

The action plan addresses two areas of research: biomedical research, which is important in developing new and more cost-effective interventions, especially those that are applicable in low- and middle-income countries, and operational research, which provides evidence on ways to overcome barriers in service provision and uptake and improvements in appropriate cost-effective strategies and approaches for meeting ever-growing public health needs for improving and preserving eye health in communities.

The Sight Loss and Vision Priority Setting Partnership, discussed in this issue of Ocular Surgery News Europe Edition, is the result of a remarkable effort to identify eye health research priorities through engaging a large number of stakeholders, jointly working in a transparent and consultative way. The methodology used, which is thoroughly described in the project report, allowed first for agreeing upon the key questions. Those with missing or incomplete answers were identified by the participating organizations and individuals as a major impediment, limiting further progress in the area of preventing vision loss. The focus was on specific eye conditions relevant to a specific population segment, such as childhood-onset eye conditions. The report then presented, under each respective category, a subset of issues recommended for further research. Those cover various aspects of prevention, diagnostics and treatment of the major causes of blindness, specifically in the context of the United Kingdom, where this project was conducted. One of the ultimate objectives of this project was to publicly present the identified research priorities in order to guide current and new eye health researchers and to support their efforts in seeking resources for their research activities.

Click here to read the full commentary published in Ocular Surgery News Europe Edition, November/December.