WHO launches eye test app

Mangaliso Kabulika

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched the WHOeyes app to help prioritise eye health and provide accessible eye care everywhere.

The free app enables people to check their vision at home, specifically to measure visual acuity which detects vision impairment.

This is critical to identifying those who need immediate eye care, as many people with vision loss are unaware of their condition.

Vision loss treatment is also economically important, with an estimated cost of US$411 billion in lost workplace productivity, due to poor vision.

WHOeyes is available for both Android and IOS users in English, Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish.

World Sight Day was marked yesterday under the theme “Eye care in the workplace”.

The day is celebrated annually to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment.

According to WHO, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment and in at least one billion of these, vision impairment could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.

The leading causes of vision impairment and blindness at a global level are refractive errors and cataracts.