Historic eye health Summit delivers 200 commitments to improve vision for millions of people worldwide

Nov 3 2026

Full details of all 200 commitments just published, with many focussing on improving child eye health (95) and access to glasses (88)

HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh – IAPB Global Ambassador – says “the end is finally in sight” for trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness

Commitments announced at Summit conclusion include more than US$1 billion in government pledges to tackle avoidable sight loss

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, 2 NOVEMBER 2026 – World leaders, international agencies, civil society organisations and private sector partners today announced a second wave of major commitments to transform eye health worldwide, as the inaugural Global Summit for Eye Health concluded in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.

In total 200 commitments were secured at the Summit which will benefit millions of people worldwide. Many commitments focus on improving child eye health (95) and access to glasses (88) with a total of 68 million pairs of glasses pledged. The commitments will also help provide 13 million sight-restoring cataract surgeries.

Full details of all commitments have now been published following the conclusion of the Summit and include:

Prioritising children’s eye health: UNICEF will support governments in 25 countries to strengthen and scale child vision screening through integrated health, education and community systems.

Scaling access to glasses: 42 governments committed to expanding access to affordable, quality glasses, recognising the contribution of corrected vision to learning, employment, productivity and economic opportunity. 35 governments also committed to improving access to screening and ready-made reading glasses through regulatory and fiscal reforms including removing tariffs and taxes.

Accelerating cataract elimination: Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Kenya and Antigua and Barbuda were announced as the inaugural countries participating in the WHO SEE 2045 Cataract Elimination Initiative, a global effort to eliminate cataract as a public health problem by 2045.

Overall, the Summit also saw multi-million-dollar commitments from 143 non-government stakeholders. These include organisations including 15 private sector companies, 91 NGOs/ INGOs, 13 professional/ regulatory bodies, 10 academic and research institutions, 7 health facilities, 4 philanthropic organisations, and 3 international and multinational organisations. These cover a broad range including eye care facilities, expanding service delivery, scaling up spectacle distribution, and training frontline healthcare workers.

This second wave of commitments builds on a package of more than US$1 billion in government commitments announced earlier at the Summit to strengthen eye health systems, expand access to care and tackle avoidable sight loss

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), addressed the Summit and celebrated the remarkable global progress being made against trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. HRH’s remarks reflected on decades of international action that have reduced the global burden of trachoma by 94 per cent, with more than 30 countries having eliminated the disease as a public health problem since 2002.

Earlier in the day, HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh visited an eye clinic supported by Cure Blindness Project, where she met Antiguan nurses who recently completed specialist ophthalmic training and are helping expand access to eye care services across the country. HRH also presented a special Love Your Eyes Recognition Award to four nurses in recognition of their contribution to strengthening eye health services in the Caribbean.

Speaking about the global fight against trachoma, HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh said: “More than 30 countries have now eliminated it [Trachoma] as a public health issue. Both within the Commonwealth nations and beyond. This year alone, Australia and Algeria, El Salvador and Timor-Leste have joined that list. But all this represents a historic public health achievement. Our work is not yet done. This is why I am pleased to see partners old and new continuing their commitment to this fight. With significant new support expected to be announced soon. We will be able to eliminate trachoma across our Commonwealth, and we will be closer to eliminating it from the rest of the world.”

Peter Holland, CEO, IAPB, said: “The Global Summit will be remembered as a defining moment in the history of eye health.

“For decades, we have known how to prevent blindness and restore sight, but never before have world leaders and so many leading organisations and private sector companies come together like this with a shared determination to make eye health a global priority. Today, that changed.

“The collective commitments made at the Summit today create new momentum, strengthen accountability and bring us closer to a world where avoidable sight loss is dramatically reduced. Millions more people will have the opportunity to learn, work, care for their families and participate fully in society because of the decisions taken here in Antigua and Barbuda. This is a landmark moment for eye health and an important step towards eye health for all”.