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Join IAPB1. The investment in eye health to prevent sight loss report makes a serious argument and a case about the need for investment in eye health from governments. What are the key questions explored in this report?
This project has three key objectives, which are to:
Based on the objectives of this project, the following key research questions were designed and developed in collaboration with eye healthcare subject matter experts:
2. Which were the ten countries included in the analysis, and why were they selected?
Canada, the United States (US), Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), India, Nepal (case study), Australia, Japan and Singapore.
In the initial stages of the project, a feasibility scoping task was undertaken from a larger number of countries (18 in total). The above 10 countries were shortlisted.
Countries were shortlisted based on one or more of four criteria:
3. What drivers of eye health needs are considered in this report? Could you state some findings that particularly stood out in the analysis?
There is significant variation in the structure and focus of eye health systems worldwide. This study has identified four key areas of the eye health system that require sustained and growing investment and can have a substantial impact on the eye care and eye health outcomes. They include:
4. How have you defined eye health expenditure in the report and what should we know about the report’s findings on eye health expenditure among the countries studied?
The definition of expenditure used in this report is the final consumption of health care goods and services, including personal health care (curative care, rehabilitative care, long-term care, ancillary services and medical good) and collective services (prevention and public health services as well as health administration), but excludes spending on investments. This definition is consistent with the definition used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Data availability across countries is variable and there is a need for greater investment in eye care to address the growing burden.
5. The report speaks to targeted investment to drive change and influence eye health outcomes. What were the key gaps identified around eye health investment?
6. What are the top four recommendations or calls to action that have emerged from this report?
7. What are the key research gaps and priorities in eye health financing and outcomes, and how can further research and evidence generation contribute to improved policies and practices?
This study has robustly considered the existing data landscape to answer the research questions.
However, there are certain considerations to note regarding the data sources and methodology used in this study, which are outlined below: