Devex 74d ago

At least 2.2 billion people globally live with vision impairment, and for more than 1 billion, it is preventable or treatable. Addressing this gap isn’t just a health priority — it’s an economic opportunity, with the potential to generate $447 billion annually, increase school participation, and expand workforce productivity. In this session from Devex Impact House: The Capital Summit, Jessica Thompson, deputy chief executive at the IAPB, and Andrew Bastawrous, chief executive officer and cofounder of Peek Vision, in conversation with Alex Cabaret, vice president, partnerships at Devex, explore how investing in eye health can drive development outcomes across sectors. The discussion reframes eye health as a high-impact investment — linking improved vision to better education outcomes, increased workforce participation, and stronger economic performance. It also examines emerging financing approaches, including catalytic funding models and partnerships with institutions such as the World Bank, to scale access to vision care globally. Key insights include: • Why eye health is one of the most overlooked yet high-return investments in development • How improving vision directly impacts education, employment, and productivity • The role of innovative financing in scaling access to eye care • What it takes to move from small-scale interventions to system-level impact For more international development news, visit: http://www.devex.com Subscribe to the Devex YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=wwwdevexcom Follow us on: Facebook: @Devex Instagram: @devex_com LinkedIn: @Devex