Visual Impairment in China

China has the largest populations in the world, about 1.5 billion people. Of the 1.5 billion, about 17 million people in China suffer with visual impairments, which is roughly 20% of the total disability population in China. Because China lacks quality healthcare and many people do not have access to doctors, easily corrected visual impairment is not treated, causing many people to go blind. Visual impairments affects children and young university undergraduates.

Causes of Visual Impairment

Visual impairments are prevalent in the whole country, but it is more so in rural China. Different regions struggle with different eye-related diseases. However, the most common eye diseases that cause visual impairments are cataracts, uncorrected refractive error and diabetic retinopathy.

Many of these diseases can be easily treated with the right treatment. With cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, which people with diabetes have, can be treated with surgery. Meanwhile, uncorrected refractive error, which includes far- and nearsightedness, can be corrected with glasses.

Effects on Education

Children especially depend on vision in the school system. If their vision is impaired in some way, learning will become difficult. Without a good education, finding a job will be difficult. Education is the key for many people to find a well-paid job.

According to an article that correlates eye health and poverty, the writers argue, “Vision problems that remain unresolved will eventually force people to fall deeper into poverty as they will be unable to work and make provisions for their families or conduct daily tasks and thus a heavy reliance will be placed on others for care.”

Effects on Family

Children with visual impairment also affect their families. Children are dependent on their families, and as they grow up, they become dependent on their children. Caring for children with visual impairments is costly, and sometimes families do not have the money to care for their children.

Parents often have to sacrifice much to make sure their children are cared for. Sometimes, they will quit their jobs to care and homeschool their children. However, they do not know how to properly take care of a visually impaired child. It also means that the family’s financial burden increases with only one or none of the parents working.

China Association for the Blind

The China Association for the Blind was established in 1953. It is a nongovernmental organization “representing and safeguarding the rights and interests of people with visual impairments in China.” In the last few years, the China Association for the Blind investigated the needs that people with visual impairments in China may have, including equal opportunities in education, and thus the workplace. The China Association for the Blind has been involved with several laws on disabilities in China, such as the Regulation on Education of People with Disabilities in China and the Law of the PRC on the Protection of People with Disabilities.

Even considering China’s large population, too many people experience disabilities, especially visual impairments. However, with the help of organizations like the China Association for the Blind, the Chinese government is making progress to give the visually impaired and disabled population an opportunity to receive a good education to get a job. With continuing progress, poverty for the disabled will decrease in China.