On Sunday 5 November, the world marks International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day. Having access to appropriate prostheses and orthoses can change a person’s life, allowing them to participate in all aspects of society and their community, including education, work, family, access to health care, and much more.
Globally, approximately 90% of all vision impairment can be prevented or treated. Uncorrected refractive problems account for more than 53% of all cases of vision impairment. Simple-to-use and affordable hand-held autorefractors have the potential to address challenges in addressing refractive errors, particularly for underserved populations that have little or no access to eye care. ATscale is supporting a large-scale study to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of using hand-held autorefractors in LMICs.
When they signed up to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), world leaders promised to Leave No One Behind. At this year’s SDG Summit therefore, they should take a closer look at the 2.5 billion people who need assistive technology (AT). Without increasing access to AT, we simply will not achieve the SDGs.
