Non-communicable eye diseases: facing the future

The World Health Assembly, which met in May 2013, adopted a new global programme document entitled ‘Universal eye health: a global action plan 2014–2019’. The World Health Assembly is attended by ministerial delegations of all World Health Organization (WHO) Member States every year, and is where issues of major global public health importance are discussed. The global programme document was first drafted as part of an open, participatory process and was then discussed by the WHO Member States at the meeting. It states the major priorities for the global prevention of blindness efforts for the next five years. Cataract and uncorrected refractive errors remain by far the leading causes of visual impairment. However, several other eye conditions have emerged as significant threats to people’s vision – those which are non-communicable (or chronic) and which become more prevalent with ageing. They are: