Focus on childhood blindness – Rethinking prevention and treatment (2025)

International health policy and German development cooperation focus primarily on preventive measures. This is evident, for example, in diseases such as childhood blindness, which can be prevented through vaccinations or vitamin A supplements. However, eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma cannot be prevented. Only early diagnosis and surgery can protect affected children from going blind. In the Leopoldina discussion paper “Focus on childhood blindness – Rethinking prevention and treatment”, the authors therefore recommend that German development cooperation should focus on both strengthening treatment and maintaining a strong emphasis on prevention; an approach they refer to as “Global Clinical Care”. The paper “Focus on childhood blindness – Rethinking prevention and treatment” illustrates these proposals with practical examples from southern Africa.