The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to accelerate efforts to ensure millions of people living with cataracts can access simple, sight-restoring surgery.
The agency made the call in a statement on Wednesday, citing a new study published in The Lancet Global Health.
According to the release, cataract surgery is one of the most effective and affordable interventions to prevent avoidable blindness.
It highlighted the scale of the challenge: nearly half of all people worldwide facing cataract-related blindness still lack access to surgery.
“Cataract—the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness—affects more than 94 million people globally.
“Cataract surgery—a simple 15-minute procedure—is one of the most cost-effective medical interventions, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight.
“Over the past two decades, global coverage of cataract surgery has increased by about 15 per cent, even as ageing populations and rising cataract cases have increased overall demand,” the statement said.
The latest modelling predicts coverage will rise by only about 8.4 percentage points this decade—less than one-third of the pace needed to meet the World Health Assembly target of a 30 percentage point increase by 2030.
Dr Dévora Kestel, Director of WHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, said cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools available to restore vision and transform lives.
“When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity,” Kestel said.
The study, which analyzed reports from 68 countries in 2023 and 2024, shows the African Region faces the greatest gap, with three in four people who need cataract surgery remaining untreated.
“Women are disproportionately affected across all regions, consistently experiencing lower access to care than men.
“These gaps reflect long-standing structural barriers, including shortages and unequal distribution of trained eye-care professionals, high out-of-pocket costs, long waiting times, and limited awareness or demand for surgery, even where services exist,” she said.
Kestel noted that while age is the primary risk factor for cataract, other contributors—such as prolonged UV-B exposure, tobacco use, corticosteroid use, and diabetes—can accelerate its development.
She said solutions for closing the gap and ending unnecessary blindness from cataracts are essential and achievable.
“Countries can accelerate progress by integrating vision screening and eye examinations into primary health care, investing in essential surgical infrastructure, and expanding and better distributing the eye-care workforce, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
“Targeted efforts to prioritize women and marginalized communities will be critical to reducing persistent inequities and ensuring gains in access benefit everyone,” she said.
WHO is calling on governments, civil society, and partners to build on existing momentum, address gender and geographic inequities, and prioritize underserved populations.
With sustained commitment, cataract surgery can move from being out of reach for millions to a universally accessible intervention, helping to end avoidable blindness worldwide.
