Did you know that as much as 75% of all cases of blindness worldwide could be prevented or their causes treated to prevent eventual blindness? That by just adding vitamin A to their diet, 1.5 million children can be saved from blindness every year?

Worldwide, the four leading causes of blindness are cataracts, refractive errors such as near- and far-sightedness, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Diabetic retinopathy, trachoma, corneal opacities and vitamin A deficiency are other major causes. In most cases, the causes can be treated and the blindness prevented.

Cataracts, or the clouding of the lens of the eye, can be rectified by surgically replacing the lens in a relatively simple and very short operation.

About six million cases of blindness result from an eye infection called trachoma that is caused by a strain of the Candida fungus that can be easily treated and cured if discovered in time.

Two per cent of diabetics will go blind within 10 years of diagnosis because of damage to the small blood vessels at the back of the eye. These vessels can rupture causing damage to the retina, resulting in blindness. Controlling the diabetes properly will prevent damage to the blood vessels.

Although glaucoma cannot be prevented, the damage to sight caused by the raised pressure in the eyeball can be prevented if the glaucoma is found or diagnosed early on.

The retina of the eye needs Vitamin A in the form of the light-absorbing metabolite retinal to see under low-light conditions, and to be able to correctly identify objects by the light frequencies they emit. Vitamin A can be obtained by eating a varied diet that includes animal livers, eggs, fruit, vegetables and dairy products.

As much as 90% of all cases of blindness occur in the developing world, where most people do not have access to doctors or medical care facilities, or lack the money to pay for these services when they are available. A lack of money also contributes to a poor or unbalanced diet, which means people do not ingest the vitamins and minerals needed for their bodies to function properly.

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