Advancing eye health within universal health coverage: the role of programmatic data and implementation research

In the past 3 y, considerable attention has been paid to the importance of eye health as a global development priority, first by the World Report on Vision launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2019,¹ then by the Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health, published in February 2021² and most recently by the Vision for Everyone Resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in July 2021.³ All three documents provide compelling evidence on the magnitude, impact and costs of poor vision and call for coordinated global efforts to improve access to and the quality and equity of eye care services worldwide. The documents argue that the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)⁴ will not be sufficient without integrating eye health within universal health coverage (UHC)⁵ and highlight the role of quality evidence and research in achieving this ambitious global agenda. The Lancet Global Health Commission gives particular attention to contextually relevant solution-focused implementation research and to translating research findings into policy and practice.²