OCR Text |
Show Lions Club tackles m r- battle of blindness 'Despite the dedication and best efforts of Lions Club International and- others, we are daily losing ground in the battle against preventable preven-table and reversible blindness. Over 30 million people worldwide are now blind. Aging populations in many areas of the world, and other factors, lead experts to predict that the already unacceptably large number of blind could double in 25 years. Ironically, we are now in a posi tion to prevent or reverse 80 percent of the world's blindness. In highly-developed highly-developed countries surgery for cataracts is both readily available and highly successful. Yet, some 50 percent of the world's blind are blind from cataracts. Other major causestrachoma, xerophthalmia (vitamin-A deficiency), deficien-cy), onchocerciasis (river blindness), blind-ness), diabetic retinopathy and glaucomaare susceptible to prevention, treatment or control. |