Upcoming events
In Commemoration of World Sight Day, the new buildings at SZRECC will be officially opened on the 13th October 2011. The buildings- a students' hostel, staff and visitors' accommodation and private wards block were built and furnished with funding from Sightsavers and the European Commission.
According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO):
- About 284 million people are visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 245 million have low vision
- 80% of all visual impairment can be prevented, treated or cured
- About 90% of the world's visually impaired people live in developing countries
- Globally, uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of visual impairment, while cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness
- The number of people visually impaired from infectious diseases has greatly reduced in the last 20 years
- 65% of visually impaired people are over 50 years of age, although this age group comprises only 20% of the world population
- Top causes of visual impairment: refractive errors, cataracts and glaucoma
- Top causes of blindness: cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration