Written question asked by Nick Hurd (Conservative) on Monday, 16 November 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 18 November 2015. It was answered by Grant Shapps (Conservative) on Monday, 23 November 2015 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Visual Impairment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on the global cost of lost economic activity due to blindness and low vision.

Answer: There are a limited number of studies that estimate the lost productivity from all avoidable blindness. However, there have been some studies to assess the impact of specific causes of visual impairment and blindness. For example, it has been estimated that trachoma alone causes US$3-6 billion in lost productivity per year across affected countries. DFID is supporting the prevention and treatment of trachoma in a number of highly endemic countries.

Secondary information