WHO envisions way out of blindness through early intervention

BEIJING - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that blindness could be avoided in eight out of 10 cases with appropriate treatment or early prevention worldwide.

And the situation here, as Chinese experts said, is quite similar, if not worse.

The WHO estimates that 246 million people have low vision and 39 million are blind, particularly in developing countries, according to a release issued by the organization on World Sight Day, held annually on the second Thursday of October.