World Sight Day: Restoring sight where cataract surgery is scarce

Cataract remains a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness worldwide. At least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment, and in at least 1 billion of those cases, the impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cataract accounts for 94 million of those cases, and 1 in 2 people who need cataract surgery do not have access to it.¹

What is World Sight Day?

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October and coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). This year, it falls on October 8. The 2026 #LoveYourEyes campaign centers on personal stories, lived experiences, and community action ahead of the first Global Summit for Eye Health on November 2 in Antigua and Barbuda.²

To mark the occasion, Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD, director of Duke Global Ophthalmology at Duke Eye Center in Durham, North Carolina, spoke with The Eye Care Network about why cataract blindness continues to rise and how teams deliver high-quality surgery in low-resource settings. Williams received the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2025 Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award for expanding access to cataract and corneal surgery in underserved regions.

Why is cataract-related blindness still rising?

Williams attributed the increase to aging populations in regions where ophthalmic care has not expanded, compounded by conflict and poverty that make many areas harder to reach. He cited a recent cataract camp in South Sudan.

"We literally had to negotiate a ceasefire in order to do cataract surgery," Williams told The Eye Care Network.

Can low-cost cataract surgery match outcomes in high-income settings?

On a recent trip to Abyei, surgery cost approximately $70 per case using manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS), which requires a microscope as the only electrical equipment. In skilled hands, Williams said, MSICS achieves results roughly equivalent to those in the US. A $700,000 donation this year is expected to fund approximately 9000 surgeries, a volume he said would not be possible with phacoemulsification or laser-based approaches.

"I strongly believe that we're not providing somebody substandard care," Williams said.

How does restoring sight affect mood and cognition?

Williams also addressed studies linking cataract surgery to lower rates of dementia diagnosis, which cannot yet establish cause and effect. He recalled veterans whose anxiety and depression appeared to improve after surgery during his residency, and he said he discusses the cognitive benefits of sight with families of older patients. Reflecting on his own vision problem as a resident, he described sight as "something that you could lose just like your arm."

References

1. World Health Organization. Blindness and vision impairment. Updated February 10, 2026. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment

2. International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. World Sight Day 2026: an important milestone toward eye care for all. Published July 1, 2026. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://www.iapb.org/news/world-sight-day-2026-an-important-milestone-toward-eye-care-for-all/

3. Duke Department of Ophthalmology. Duke Global Ophthalmology. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://dukeeyecenter.duke.edu/duke-global-ophthalmology

4. Cure Blindness Project. Giving to Cure Blindness Project. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://cureblindness.org/donate/faq

5. International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Membership. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://www.iapb.org/connect/join-iapb/

6. CBM. Donate now. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://www.cbm.org/donate.html

7. Sightsavers. How you can help. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://www.sightsaversusa.org/how-to-help/