title: Equity and Blindness: Closing Evidence Gaps to Support Universal Eye Health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The World Health Organization Program for the Prevention of Blindness adopted the principles of universal health coverage (UHC) in its latest plan, Universal Eye Health: A Global Action Plan, 2014-2019. This plan builds on the achievements of Vision 2020, which aimed to reduce the global prevalence of avoidable blindness, and its unequal distribution, by the year 2020.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the literature on health equity and the generation and use of evidence to promote equity, particularly in eye health. We describe the nature and extent of the equity-focused evidence to support and inform eye health programs on the path to universal eye health, and propose ways to improve the collection and reporting of this evidence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blindness prevalence decreased in all regions of the world between 1990 and 2010, albeit not at the same rate or to the same extent. In 2010, the prevalence of blindness in West Africa (6.0%) remained 15 times higher than in high-income regions (0.4%); within all regions, women had a higher prevalence of blindness than men. Beyond inter-regional and sex differences, there is little comparable data on the distribution of blindness across social groups within regions and countries, or on whether this distribution has changed over time. Similarly, interventions known to address inequity in blindness are few, and equity-relevant goals, targets and indicators for eye health programs are scarce.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Equity aims of eye health programs can benefit from the global momentum towards achieving UHC, and the progress being made on collecting, communicating and using equity-focused evidence.
authors.affiliation: a University of New South Wales, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia .
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramke
authors.affiliation: a University of New South Wales, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia .
authors.forename: Anthony B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Zwi
authors.affiliation: b The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia .
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palagyi
authors.affiliation: c University of New South Wales, School of Public Health and Community Medicine , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia , and.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blignault
authors.affiliation: d London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Clinical Research Unit, Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases , London , UK.
authors.forename: Clare E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014943:Global Health; D000069576:Health Equity / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D019472:Universal Health Insurance / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014944:World Health Organization
keywords: Blindness; Vision 2020; evidence; health equity; low and middle income countries; universal eye health