February 10, 2026
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Childhood blindness: global leaders urge coordinated action and scalable, cost effective interventions to prevent and treat pediatric vision loss.
Advocates and leaders convened to prioritize child eye health as a public health and development priority, citing about 1.4 million blind children worldwide ( 75% in Africa and Asia; ~320,000 in India) and identifying largely preventable causes-vitamin A deficiency, corneal scarring, congenital cataracts, and retinopathy of prematurity. The meeting emphasized scalable, cost effective interventions, improved awareness, expanded pediatric ophthalmic access, and coordinated action by governments, philanthropy, and civil society to avert lifelong disability and increase disability free life years.