Welcome to INSIGHT

Across all regions, momentum is accelerating as the global eye health community advances the 2030 In Sight strategy. From national advocacy and regional partnerships to community-led innovation, the fourth edition of Insight highlights progress across diverse contexts and underscores the value of collective action in translating global ambition into tangible local impact.

As a pivotal year leading up to the first Global Summit for Eye Health, engagement with key stakeholders has deepened significantly. These exchanges are generating valuable insights that will inform and strengthen deliberations at the Summit.

On the Global Stage

Every Story Counts

From a factory worker in Vietnam regaining her independence with a pair of glasses to a rare disease advocate in Austria shaping global policy conversations, Every Story Counts brings to life the human impact behind eye health. These powerful, personal stories from around the world remind us that eye care is not just about vision, but dignity, opportunity, and connection.

Explore how lived experiences are influencing policy, improving access, and driving a more people-centred approach to care.

Latin America Region

The region is an example in leading on the ministerial meeting to gather commitments for the Global Summit for Eye Health.

From the halls of government ministries to packed ophthalmology conferences, March 2026 saw IAPB's Latin America team cover extraordinary ground, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Bolivia in under a month. Across every meeting, a single message resonated: eye health is not just a health issue, it is a critical economic and social development issue.

With the Global Summit for Eye Health on the horizon this November in Antigua and Barbuda, the region is amplifying momentum. Champion Countries are confirming their seats. Senators are becoming ambassadors. Ministers are briefing their presidents. And a growing coalition of members, from Mexico to Argentina, is aligning behind a shared vision.

South East Asia Region

Recent momentum in global eye health reflects a clear shift from advocacy to implementation. At the regional level, governments and partners emphasised translating strong economic evidence into country-owned commitments, embedding eye care within universal health coverage, and scaling investments that deliver both health and development returns. This push is reinforced by recently held high-level convenings in which where early intervention for paediatric myopia, cataract, presbyopia and other eyecare issues are being positioned as a critical systems issue, requiring integration across health, education, and policy frameworks. 

At the same time, global advocacy is converging toward accountability and structural reform. The Jaipur Declaration calls for stronger integration of eye care into national systems, workforce expansion, and sustained investment aligned with 2030 targets, while practical policy shifts, such as Nepal’s removal of VAT on spectacles, demonstrate how removing financial barriers can rapidly improve access. Complementing these policy and financing advances, countries are also strengthening the evidence base: Timor-Leste and Nepal  have recently completed national surveys on refractive error, with findings expected to be disseminated soon, which will be critical for informing context-specific planning and tracking progress. 

Vision Atlas: All Eye Care Data at a Click

The Vision Atlas continues to grow as the global evidence hub for eye health. With each update, it provides richer data, sharper insights, and better tools to help decision-makers, advocates, and partners see where progress is happening — and where action is needed most. Recent improvements expand coverage, enhance accessibility, and strengthen the case for investment in vision.

Western Pacific Region

The IAPB Western Pacific region kicked off the year with strong momentum towards the 2026 Global Summit for Eye Health, with growing alignment between governments, members, and regional partners. The RANZCO-IAPB Global Eye Health Conference in Hobart, Australia, emphasised cross-sectoral collaboration and public health approaches to eye health from across the region, bringing together professional associations, NGOs, governments, and the private sector.

In the Pacific, the appointment of the Hon. Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown, Health Minister for the Cook Islands, as Pacific Ambassador for the Global Summit for Eye Health strengthened regional leadership and political engagement. The Pacific Pathways meeting in Fiji further elevated eye health as a political and development priority, with the IAPB-hosted welcome reception convening senior leaders, including ministers from the Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, and Fiji, alongside former Prime Minister of Samoa Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa. The launch of the Early Intervention in Paediatric Myopia Policy Brief and Guide for Advocacy alongside the APAO Congress in Hong Kong marked an important step in supporting countries to translate evidence into policy.

At country level, high-level engagement with governments in China, Lao PDR, Singapore, and Viet Nam continues to build momentum towards concrete, economically grounded commitments, positioning eye health firmly within broader health, education, and development agendas ahead of the Summit.

Asia-Pacific Commitments Dialogue

Leaders from across South-East Asia and the Western Pacific convened to advance country-led commitments ahead of the Global Summit for Eye Health.Discussions focused on translating strong evidence into practical action—strengthening health systems, scaling investment, and embedding eye health within universal health coverage and national development agendas.

With over one billion people still living with avoidable sight loss, participants emphasised the urgent need for coordinated, scalable solutions. Priority conditions such as cataract, presbyopia, and myopia were identified as key entry points to drive immediate impact while building stronger systems.
The consultation concluded with countries advancing measurable, nationally owned commitments—signalling a clear shift from evidence to action.

Read more about it from the blogs below.