Experts from patient organizations, health economics, and ophthalmology discussed this growing burden at an international Roche event. They emphasized that the cost of vision loss must be assessed not only through treatment expenses but also through its impact on quality of life, family, and societal productivity.
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More than 330 million people worldwide live with vision loss, and its impact goes beyond healthcare costs. According to the WifOR Institute, the socioeconomic burden of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy in ten studied countries reached 60 billion USD in 2023, and is projected to increase by almost two-thirds to 98 billion USD annually by 2032. This assessment also includes the impact on people’s ability to work, engage in unpaid activities, and contribute to society.
Vision loss changes everyday life
Avril Daly, head of Retina International, pointed out that the impact of retinal diseases goes far beyond clinical indicators. As vision weakens, it can become harder for a person to read, recognize familiar faces, drive, pursue hobbies, or perform daily tasks independently.
According to her, such loss of function is often associated with anxiety, depression, social isolation, and reduced self-confidence. “It is not just vision loss – it is a condition that fundamentally changes a person’s life,” Daly emphasized during the discussion.
She also highlighted that the burden of these diseases affects not only the patient. Relatives often have to reorganize their daily lives, accompany the patient to medical facilities, provide practical and emotional support, and in some cases reduce their workload or even give up part of their professional activities.
The invisible burden on families also has economic value
Professor Dennis Ostwald, founder and director of the WifOR Institute, stressed in the discussion that informal care by relatives and lost unpaid activities are often underestimated when discussing the cost of vision loss. According to him, the economic impact arises not only when a person cannot work. Older people who have lost vision may no longer be able to care for grandchildren, help their family, or perform other daily activities that, although unpaid, have clear value to society.
“We must position health as an investment, not as an expense,” said Prof. Ostwald. According to him, decision-makers need to see not only the costs to the health system but also the returns to society that investments in vision preservation and earlier disease detection can generate.
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The treatment burden can become an obstacle to treatment itself
For patients, not only the availability of treatment is important but also its impact on daily life. Frequent visits to medical facilities, ongoing treatment, and anxiety related to procedures can increase physical, emotional, and practical burdens. The event summary also emphasized that frequent visits and continuous treatment may contribute to missed appointments, treatment discontinuation, or poorer adherence to long-term treatment regimens.
According to A. Daly, patients increasingly speak about the need for more personalized, daily life-oriented care. They care not only about visual acuity but also whether treatment helps maintain independence, quality of life, and the ability to rely less on relatives.
Early diagnosis and technologies can change the situation
Retinal surgeon and Roche medical expert Prof. Nancy Holekamp emphasized that one of the most important ways to reduce the burden of vision loss is earlier diagnosis. According to her, ophthalmology is increasingly opening up opportunities through artificial intelligence-based image analysis, which can help identify people who need more detailed examination earlier. However, technology alone is not enough – prepared health systems, clear patient referral pathways, and sufficient specialist capacity are also necessary.
“The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the better the chances to manage it and the better the patient’s prognosis,” Prof. Holekamp noted during the discussion. She also highlighted the importance of longer-acting treatment options. Fewer procedures and visits can mean less burden for the patient, their family, the clinic, and the entire health system.
Vision health is not just a medical issue
The expert discussion repeatedly stressed that the problem of vision loss can no longer be viewed solely through a medical lens. As society ages and working life lengthens, the ability to preserve vision for as long as possible becomes important not only for individual quality of life but also for economic activity and societal well-being.
Therefore, experts believe that eye health requires more attention at the levels of early diagnosis, care organization, innovation, and health policy. Preserving vision can mean not only better quality of life for the patient but also less burden on their family, the health system, and the entire economy.
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