Challenges in Glaucoma Management in Developing Countries – Is Vision 2020 ready for glaucoma?

Abstract

Glaucoma has been referred to as the ‘orphan child’ of Vision 2020 because, though it is the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness, it was not included in its initial list. The main reasons include the inability to restore lost vision, and the need for upgrading the substandard clinical skill levels of many developing country ophthalmologists. Additional barriers include some or all of the following: poverty; limited or absent follow-up visits because of transportation problems and/or patient indifference; limited medical treatment because drugs are unavailable, unaffordable or not taken; and the necessity of case-based rather that community-based screening.