QUALITY CORNER by Reuben Eldar Quality of Care in Ophthalmology

Vision is the most significant of our senses. It is important for good quality of life and its loss leads to morbidity, disability, loss of productivity and depression. The impairment is prevalent. In the United Kingdom nearly one million people are severely visually impaired (1). More than 3.4 million (3%) Americans aged 40 and older are either blind (visual acuity of 2/200 or have a visual field of less than 20 degrees) or visually impaired (visual acuity of 20/40 or less). The social, personal and financial cost of the disability is high: it is estimated that blindness and visual impairment cost the US Federal Government $22 billion annually on direct cost of treatment, loss of personal income and social security disability benefits (2). As the population ages, the impact of visual disability will grow and society should invest in well-organized eye care of good quality.