![]() ![]() Since patients with insurance don’t need to pay, they are not cost-conscious. While such efforts are aimed at achieving universal coverage by removing financial barriers, it is possible that these efforts will compromise the market dynamics as the key stakeholders become less concerned about costs. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the government is promoting health insurance to the poor and marginalized in an effort to make healthcare services inclusive. ![]() In all areas of the world, financing of eye care is undergoing rapid change. For a given programme, financing is driven by design, execution, efficiency and a host of other factors. Equally the sources vary depending on whether such financing is for capital investment or operating expenses. The source of such financing varies somewhat based on who the provider is – the government, non-profit hospital or private sector. To successfully develop, run and sustain an eye care programme, several resources are required, finance being among the essential ones. The funders had no role in the design, conduct, data analysis of the study, or writing of the manuscript. The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health was supported by grants from The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Moorfields Eye Charity (GR001061), NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, The Wellcome Trust, Sightsavers, The Fred Hollows Foundation, The SEVA Foundation, The British Council for the Prevention of Blindness and Christian Blind Mission. JR's appointment at the University of Auckland is funded by the Buchanan Charitable Foundation, New Zealand. MJB is supported by the Wellcome Trust (207472/Z/17/Z). Reducing and preventing vision loss and developing and implementing strategies to help visually impaired people to find and keep employment may result in significant productivity gains ![]() These findings support the view that blindness and MSVI are associated with a large economic impact worldwide. Using GNI, overall productivity losses were estimated at $408.5 billion ppp (range $320.4 - $515.9 billion), 0.5% lower than estimates using GDP. Globally, using GDP we estimated that the annual cost of potential productivity losses of MSVI and blindness was $410.7 billion ppp (range $322.1 - $518.7 billion), or 0.3% of GDP. We found that 160.7 million people with MSVI or blindness were within the working age and estimated that the overall relative reduction in employment by people with vision loss was 30.2%. Two separate models, using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Income (GNI), were calculated to maximise comparability with previous estimates. Calculations were limited to the working age population (15–64 years) and presented in 2018 US Dollars purchasing power parity (ppp). We constructed a model using the most recent economic, demographic (2018) and prevalence (2020) data. We aimed to estimate the annual potential productivity losses associated with reduced employment due to blindness and moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI) at a regional and global level. In the absence of accessible, good quality eye health services and inclusive environments, vision loss can impact individuals, households and communities in many ways, including through increased poverty, reduced quality of life and reduced employment. ![]()
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