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Ophthalmology and the Ageing Society pp 13–17Cite as

Blindness and Visual Impairment: Global Perspective

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Part of the book series: Essentials in Ophthalmology ((ESSENTIALS))

Abstract

The last 30 years have seen a dramatic shift in global economies and a rise in the number and wealth of so-called “middle-income” countries. Notwithstanding the terrible toll of HIV-AIDS, survival rates have generally improved and with it an increase in the proportion of deaths due to chronic diseases as the infectious diseases decline (World Health Organization 2011). The World Health Organization (WHO) now has to face a rising epidemic of illnesses like diabetes as seriously as it has faced epidemics of infections like cholera or yellow fever (World Health Organization 2011).

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Acknowledgments

Conflict of Interest: none; Ethical standards: Informed consent – not applicable; Animal rights – not applicable.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Sheila K. West PhD

Authors
  1. Sheila K. West PhD
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Correspondence to Sheila K. West PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wilmer Eye Institute, John Hopkins University, N. Wolfe Street 600, Baltimore, 21287-9277, Maryland, USA

    Hendrik P.N. Scholl

  2. Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation, Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, John Hopkins University, North Broadway 550, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA

    Robert W. Massof

  3. Wilmer Eye Institute, Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology, John Hopkins University, North Wolfe Street 600, Baltimore, 21287, Maryland, USA

    Sheila West

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West, S.K. (2013). Blindness and Visual Impairment: Global Perspective. In: Scholl, H., Massof, R., West, S. (eds) Ophthalmology and the Ageing Society. Essentials in Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36324-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36324-5_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36323-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36324-5

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