Table 3. Cases of VI from URE as a percentage of total population, and estimated productivity loss as a percentage of total GDP, by WHO subregion.
| WHO region and subregiona | Cases as a % of total population | % of total GDP lostb |
|---|---|---|
| African | ||
| D | 0.86 | 0.17 |
| E | 0.82 | 0.19 |
| Americas | ||
| A | 1.82 | 0.30 |
| B | 1.39 | 0.25 |
| D | 1.29 | 0.21 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | ||
| B | 1.08 | 0.16 |
| D | 1.08 | 0.14 |
| European | ||
| A | 1.97 | 0.30 |
| B | 1.42 | 0.19 |
| C | 1.60 | 0.27 |
| South-East Asia | ||
| B | 1.45 | 0.27 |
| D | 3.23 | 0.73 |
| Western Pacific | ||
| A | 0.87 | 0.15 |
| B | 3.98 | 0.86 |
| Global | 2.39c | 0.25d |
GDP, gross domestic product; URE, uncorrected refractive error; VI, visual impairment. a WHO subregions defined in WHO’s Global burden of disease in 2002 report.9 b GDP under the assumption of economic productivity, adjusted for population-weighted regional labour force participation rate and population-weighted regional employment rate. c 2.39 = Total cases across all regions as a percentage of total world population. d 0.25 = Total cost in international dollars (I$) for lost productivity due to URE, as a percentage of total world GDP in I$.