Seventy-five percent of all blindness in the developing world is easily treatable or preventable, yet the majority of those suffering from the leading causes of blindness (see below) lack access to the very solutions that could save their sight and their lives.

Photo credit: Helen Keller/International/China.

Did you know that:

• around the world, a child goes blind every minute and an adult every 5 seconds?
• between 250,000 and 500,000 children become blind annually and 70 percent die within 12 months of losing their sight?

The four leading causes of blindness are treatable or preventable:

• Cataract, the leading cause of blindness worldwide, accounts for 48% of all blind adults. A simple surgery removes the cataract.
• Trachoma is an infection caused by lack of adequate sanitation and clean water. Scar tissue curls the eyelid inward; the eyelashes scratch the cornea.
• Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is transmitted by black flies. An annual dose of the drug ivermectin prevents symptoms for one year, but must be given to 65% of community members for 15-20 years to eliminate the disease.
• Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and dry eye, which can scar the cornea. Left untreated, the cornea can melt.

Your gift of $100 to Global Impact can help provide 100 children and adults with enough Vitamin A for one year, boosting their immune systems and fighting off sight-robbing infections.

Global Impact is dedicated to helping the poorest people on Earth. Representing more than 50 of the most respected U.S.-based international charities in giving campaigns across the nation, Global Impact touches more than 400 million lives worldwide through disaster relief, education, health training and economic programs that promote self-sufficiency.