WHO Urges Faster Expansion of Global Access to Cataract Surgery
A new study finds nearly half of all people facing cataract-related blindness worldwide still need access to surgery.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to ensure that millions of people living with cataract can access simple, sight‑restoring surgery. A new study published in The Lancet Global Health highlights the scale of the challenge: nearly half of all people across the world facing cataract‑related blindness still need access to surgery.
According to the WHO, over the past 2 decades, global coverage of cataract surgery has increased by about 15%, even as aging populations and rising cataract cases have increased overall demand. The latest modeling predicts the coverage for cataract surgery to rise by about 8.4% for this decade. However, progress needs to accelerate sharply to meet the World Health Assembly target of a 30% increase by 2030.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, director a.i., WHO Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. “When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”
The study, which analyzed reports from 68 country estimates for 2023 and 2024 shows that the African region faces the greatest gap, with 3 in 4 people who need cataract surgery remaining untreated. Women are disproportionately affected across all regions, consistently experiencing lower access to care than men.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly half of people worldwide who are blind from cataract still lack access to surgery, and current gains in coverage are insufficient to meet the World Health Assembly target of a 30% increase by 2030.
- Data from 68 country estimates show pronounced inequities, with the African region having the largest unmet need for cataract surgery, with 3 in 4 people who need surgery remaining untreated.
- The World Health Organization attributes persistent gaps primarily to structural barriers such as workforce shortages, cost, and limited awareness, emphasizing that eliminating avoidable cataract blindness is achievable through health system investment and targeted efforts to reach underserved populations.
These gaps reflect long-standing structural barriers, including shortages and unequal distribution of trained eyecare professionals, high out-of-pocket costs, long waiting times, and limited awareness or demand for surgery, even where services exist, the WHO said. In addition, although age is the primary risk factor for cataract, other contributors such as prolonged UV-B exposure, tobacco use, corticosteroid use, and diabetes can accelerate its development.
According to the WHO, ending unnecessary blindness from cataract is essential and achievable. Countries can accelerate progress by integrating vision screening and eye examinations into primary health care, investing inessential surgical infrastructure, and expanding and better distributing the eyecare workforce, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Targeted efforts to prioritize women and marginalized communities will be critical to reducing persistent inequities and ensuring that gains in access benefit everyone. The WHO said it is calling on governments, civil society, and partners to build on existing momentum, address gender and geographic inequities, and prioritize underserved populations.
BVI Launches Finevision HP IOL in the United States
Initial cases signal the start of a phased US rollout of the presbyopia-correcting IOL platform.
BVI announced the first US implantations of its Finevision HP hydrophobic trifocal intraocular lens, marking the clinical debut of the device following regulatory clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2025.
Finevision HP is a third-generation trifocal IOL developed through the collaboration of BVI research and development director Christophe Pagnoulle and ophthalmologist Damien Gatinel, MD, PhD. It incorporates BVI’s POD platform and CoPODize technology, featuring a diffractive design intended to distribute light across distance, intermediate, and near focal points. The lens also features a double C-loop haptic designed to enhance in-the-bag stability.
The initial procedures were performed at multiple surgical centers by 5 cataract and refractive surgeons who serve on the company’s US Surgical Leadership Council: George O. Waring IV, MD; Nathan M. Radcliffe, MD; Nicole Fram, MD; Robert J. Weinstock, MD; and Vance Thompson, MD. According to the company, these cases represent the transition of Finevision HP from regulatory approval to real-world surgical use in the United States. The lens has been available outside the US for more than 15 years.
BVI reported that US clinical evaluation and global data have demonstrated consistent visual performance across lighting conditions. The company plans a phased rollout across select US centers, with broader availability expected during 2026.
FDA Clears Rayner's Sophi Phaco System
The company said that surgeons and clinical teams can benefit from faster setup, quicker patient turnover, and greater mobility.
Rayner announced in a press release that it has secured US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for Sophi, a Swiss-engineered phacoemulsification system.
According to the company, Sophi includes features that are designed to meet the demands of ASCs, office-based surgery, and US hospital networks—such as triple pump fluidics (both peristaltic and venturi), an intuitive user interface, and wireless power concept. In addition, the company said that surgeons and clinical teams can benefit from faster setup, quicker patient turnover, and greater mobility, without sacrificing patient safety.
“US surgeons deserve an innovative alternative to conventional phaco technology, and Sophi delivers that," commented Tim Clover, CEO, Rayner, in the press release. "Clinics worldwide tell us they’re running more efficiently and cutting cost and waste, so we’re looking forward to bringing these benefits to surgeons across the US through our new team of surgical equipment specialists.”
Rayner also pointed out that a recent position paper estimated a 307 kg reduction in discarded plastic per 1,000 cataract surgeries using Sophi’s day cassette option. Rayner said it is committed to bringing this feature to the US market to help support the industry’s drive to reduce surgical waste and carbon footprint.
iDose TR Gains FDA Approval for Retreatment
Updated labeling permits repeat implantation in patients meeting corneal safety criteria.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a labeling supplement allowing for repeat administration of iDose TR (Glaukos), an intracameral travoprost implant for the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The approval permits retreatment using a defined repeat treatment protocol and is based on accumulated clinical data supporting the safety and tolerability of repeat use.
Under the updated labeling, physicians may readminister iDose TR in patients who maintain healthy corneal endothelial parameters. Clinical studies have shown no clinically significant corneal endothelial cell loss through 3 years of follow-up in phase 2b and phase 3 trials, the company said in a press release. Additional data from an exchange trial demonstrated that removal of the original implant followed by a second iDose TR administration was safe and well tolerated over 12 months.
iDose TR is designed to provide continuous, long-duration delivery of a proprietary formulation of travoprost directly to the anterior chamber, eliminating the need for daily topical therapy. The device is implanted through the trabecular meshwork into scleral tissue and delivers medication via membrane-controlled diffusion. iDose TR was commercially launched in the United States in 2024.