The global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness.

The first of a series of articles on the Global Initiative appeared in Volume 11, Issue No. 25 of the Journal of Community Eye Health. Bjorn Thylefors described this initiative as a strengthened and accelerated movement for prevention of avoidable blindness, particularly in the developing world, which is home to over two-thirds of those who have such visual disability. The initiative is a collaborative effort of the World Health Organization's Programme for the Prevention of Blindness and Deafness (PBD) and a group of International Non-Governmental Organisations with the common goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by the year 2020, in partnership with committed member countries. It needs to be acknowledged that despite a half century of efforts commencing with trachoma control activities, the burden of some forms of blindness and visual impairment continues unabated. This may mask the significant advances that have been made collectively by member countries, WHO and other UN agencies, International Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector, towards the achievement of the goal. However, in spite of progress in science, public health and ophthalmology, blindness remains an important global public health problem.