Flaxman SR, et al. - An appraisal was carried out of the global causes of blindness and distance vision impairment. A significant rise was noted in the number of people affected by the common causes of vision loss, as the population increased and aged. Preventable vision loss due to cataract (reversible with surgery) and refractive error (reversible with spectacle correction) persisted as the cause of maximum cases of blindness and moderate or severe vision impairment in adults aged 50 years and older. A large scale-up of eye care provision was warranted in order to cope with the increasing numbers for targeting the avoidable vision loss.