Sunglasses and Eye Health Statistics
Eight sourced figures on ultraviolet exposure, vision impairment and the wider need for eye protection.
Last updated September 9, 2026
These figures are collected for writers, researchers and shoppers who need a quick, traceable reference. Each statistic links to its original source, and every source date is shown beside the claim.
The figures worth keeping close.
2.2 billion
people worldwide live with near or distance vision impairment
The World Health Organization reports this global estimate. It covers people of all ages and underscores how widely vision care affects daily life.
World Health Organization, blindness and vision impairment fact sheetData reported for 2019Link to this statistic1 billion
cases could have been prevented or remain unaddressed
The World Health Organization says that nearly half of the global vision-impairment total falls into this group.
World Health Organization, blindness and vision impairment fact sheetData reported for 2019Link to this statistic94 million
people have distance vision impairment or blindness caused by cataract
Cataract is the largest condition named in the World Health Organization’s breakdown of those 1 billion preventable or unaddressed cases.
World Health Organization, blindness and vision impairment fact sheetData reported for 2019Link to this statistic88.4 million
people have distance vision impairment or blindness caused by refractive error
Refractive error is the second-largest condition in the same World Health Organization breakdown.
World Health Organization, blindness and vision impairment fact sheetData reported for 2019Link to this statisticUS$411 billion
is the estimated annual global productivity loss linked with vision impairment
The World Health Organization presents this as a purchasing-power-parity estimate of the annual economic burden.
World Health Organization, blindness and vision impairment fact sheetEstimate cited on the 2025 fact sheetLink to this statisticMore than 2 million
cases of cataract blindness worldwide may be linked with sun exposure
This is an older World Health Organization estimate, published in 2002. It remains useful context for why eye protection belongs in everyday sun safety.
World Health Organization, Sun protection: a primary teaching resourceJuly 22, 2002Link to this statistic49.8%
of the world’s population was projected to have myopia by 2050
A peer-reviewed 2016 model projected growth from 22.9% in 2000 to nearly half of the global population by 2050.
Holden et al., Ophthalmology2016 projection studyLink to this statistic938 million
people were projected to have high myopia by 2050
The same 2016 model projected high myopia would reach 9.8% of the global population by 2050.
Holden et al., Ophthalmology2016 projection studyLink to this statisticWhen the UV Index reaches 3, eye protection belongs in the plan.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency groups UV Index values from 3 to 7 as moderate to high, and advises protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses. At 8 and above, it calls for extra protection.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, UV Index ScaleGuidance accessed September 9, 2026How this reference is kept useful.
This page uses named public-health sources and a peer-reviewed research paper. The figures above are reported as their sources describe them. Projection figures are labeled as projections, and the 2002 sun-exposure estimate is retained with its original date so readers can judge its age and context.
Varelli reviews this page about once a month, or sooner when a key source publishes a material update. Existing statistic links stay in place so citations remain useful over time.
Sunglasses and Eye Health Statistics, Varelli.
Use the page title, Varelli, September 9, 2026, and this URL: https://varelli.store/sunglasses-eye-health-statistics.
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