Eyes of the world strengthens its commitments through the Global Summit for Eye Health

30 October 2026

The Eyes of the world Foundation reaffirms its commitment to global eye health in the context of the first Global Summit for Eye Health, which will take place on 2 November 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda. The summit will bring together governments, international organisations, civil society, the private sector and academic institutions with the aim of driving new political and financial commitments in support of universal access to eye care. The Foundation has offered its support to the summit through a range of actions.

Eyes of the world has contributed to the development of the summit by providing financial support to its organisational fund, which is intended to promote political action, international advocacy, the dissemination of evidence on the social and economic value of eye health, and the monitoring of the commitments made during the summit. It has also signed the Global Compact, an initiative bringing together organisations committed to addressing the global challenge of avoidable vision loss and helping to ensure that everyone can access the eye care they need. Currently, investment in eye health has a significant social and economic impact: every dollar invested can generate up to 28 dollars in return, and tackling untreated vision loss could contribute 447 billion dollars annually to the global economy.

Data table. $447 billion boost to the world economy. 22 million more people employed. 13 million equivalent school years gained. 1.2 million fewer injuries from crashes on roads. 304 million people, predominantly women, relieved of the caregiving burden and able to work more. $1 : $28 — every $1 invested in eye health can yield a $28 return in low- and middle-income countries. — Data from the Global Summit for Eye Health Narrative (2026), taken from https://globalsummitforeyehealth.org/es/media-centre/

Along the same lines, through the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Eyes of the world has also joined the commitment of the Gender Equity Working Group and has supported the Equality in Sight initiative, which promotes more equitable and inclusive eye care.

In recent months, the Foundation has taken part in preparatory meetings in Brussels and Togo and has engaged in advocacy with the governments of Spain, Mozambique and Bolivia to encourage their participation in the summit. The Ministries of Health of Spain and Bolivia have sent videos of support, and two representatives of the Bolivian Government will attend the event, accompanied by the coordinator of the Eyes of Bolivia project, Patricia Tárraga.

Finally, the Foundation has drawn up a future commitment for the 2026–2030 period within the framework of the commitments that will be formally recognised in the summit’s official outcome document and will be subject to subsequent monitoring. Eyes of the world’s commitment, with a planned investment of 813,000 dollars, aims to contribute to strengthening public eye health systems through its programmes in Bolivia, Mali, Mozambique, Spain and the Sahrawi refugee camps. It includes actions tailored to each context, such as the development of evidence-based public eye health plans, strengthening training and infrastructure, digitalising services, promoting research, and expanding access to eye care for the most vulnerable populations.