A study by the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and the International Centre for Eye Health has shed light on the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). The study was carried out between July 2018 and April 2019 and found a slight decrease in the prevalence of blindness compared to 2008.

The occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) comprises East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with a total population of 4.7 million at the last census in 2017. In that year, 29.2% of the population was living below the poverty line.

This research was a Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB), a methodology that surveys people aged 50+ for the prevalence and causes of vision impairment and blindness. This survey was the first ever pilot test of the current iteration of the RAAB survey methodology – RAAB7.

During the survey, 4223 Palestinians aged 50 and above were assessed. The results for various key indicators in this age group are below:

82.4% of blindness was caused by avoidable causes, with lower levels of impairment also more than eighty percent avoidable.

The level of blindness at 2.6% contrasts with a rate of 0.7% across the North Africa and Middle East region, and 0.5% for the world in 2020.

The survey also looked at the prevalence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, a vision-threatening complication of diabetes. 33.8% of the population studied had diabetes and half of those people had diabetic retinopathy.

Assessing self-reported disability, 23.8% of people were assessed to be disabled, with more women than men living with disability.

The survey found inequality in the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment, diabetes and disability – for each outcome, women were more affected than men.

Overall, the prevalence of vision impairment and blindness in oPt was similar to a previous 2008 RAAB, despite an increase in eye care provision. The authors note that this could potentially be attributed to an ageing population, with the number of Palestinians aged 50 years and above increasing by 54% between 2008 and 2017.

The protracted conflict between Palestinian armed groups and the Israeli military that began in October 2023 has monumentally impacted healthcare access in the oPt, causing physical damage to infrastructure, lack of supplies and personnel and overwhelming emergency need. The study highlights that service coverage is likely to have greatly or completely reduced in Gaza, increasing the backlog of required interventions to protect and restore sight and that a complete rebuild of the health system may be necessary.

Publication

Mikki N, McCormick I, Mactaggart I. Prevalence of vision impairment, diabetic retinopathy and disability in adults 50+ in the occupied Palestinian territories. PLOS Glob Public Health. September 2024. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003613