“Unfortunately, many people end up losing their sight because the current level of medical care is unable to treat them. I am one of these people. I developed night blindness in childhood, and my eyesight gradually deteriorated until, at age 12, I was unable to read or write. Today, I can only sense strong light. However, I still need to have a social life, and I want to play an active role in society despite my disability.
Visual impairment is an information disability.
Technological advances have enabled the visually impaired to operate PCs and smartphones, greatly reducing information barriers, and the impact this change has had on the lives of the visually impaired and the expansion of their employment opportunities is immeasurable. I am involved in the planning, proposal, and implementation of inclusion initiatives to further increase people’s awareness and understanding of blindness and visual impairment. We are developing the Blind Experience, a program to promote understanding of visual impairment and the importance of communication, both internally and externally, and we are promoting projects with other companies related to the skills and quality of life of the visually impaired. We are also working to create an internal environment for the development and expansion of job opportunities for the visually impaired.
We will use these efforts to create an organizational culture in which diversity is a strength, to promote DE&I at Santen, and to change the mindset of society as a whole.”
Since our founding in 1890, Santen has been committed to our Core Principle of “Tenki ni sanyo suru,” which also inspired our company’s name, working closely with patients, their families, and people close to them in our specific area of expertise—the eye. This month, Santen celebrates its founding and over the past 134 years, we have created numerous products and currently support the eye health of more than 50 million people worldwide every year.
In this issue, we would like to reiterate the importance of “eye health” and take a look at the current situation for people suffering from eye problems.
A world created on the premise of sight
Social infrastructure, communication with people, work and education, sports, art—all of our activities are built on the foundation of “sight.” It’s easy to overlook its importance.
Try closing your eyes for a couple of minutes.
In a world that does not rely on sight, ordinary activities and daily life can change dramatically. For example, walking in a straight line, eating a meal, or noticing a familiar face is no longer so easy. Eyes also play an important role in the happy moments of life, such as feeling cheerful at the sight of a clear blue sky or watching your children grow up.
There are approximately 1 billion people with treatable and preventable visual impairments
Issues related to eye health vary by country and region, but it is said that few people go through life without experiencing an issue with their eyes. Today there is a growing concern within the international community about eye health.
Of the 17 SDGs, eye health is closely related to eight, including education and poverty issues, and maintaining and improving eye health will contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs. However, the reality is that approximately one billion people worldwide suffering from preventable visual impairments do not have access to even basic eye care services (*1). Moreover, the majority of these people are women and children.
Furthermore, estimates up to 2060 indicate that the proportion of people aged 65 and over will continue to rise in all parts of the world (*2). Since many ophthalmic diseases develop with age, the number of patients suffering from eye health problems is expected to continue to increase in the future. Glaucoma, for example, currently affects approximately 76 million people worldwide, and this number is forecast to increase to 95 million people by 2030 (*3).
Myopia and cataracts can also lead to visual impairment and blindness
A variety of eye health problems occur with age—including presbyopia, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration—but the most common problem is myopia. Myopia is difficult to reverse once it has progressed, and the number of myopia patients is expected to reach 39.9% of the global population by 2030 and 49.8% by 2050 (*4).
In Japan, according to the School Health Examination Survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the percentage of children with naked eye visual acuity of less than 1.0 has been increasing annually. In the 2022 survey, 37.88% of elementary school students, 61.23% of junior high school students and 71.56% of high school students had visual acuity of less than 1.0 (*5).
This increase in myopia is thought to be due to lifestyle changes. Specifically, this is due to a combination of a decrease in outdoor activities and an increase in reading, studying, and working at close range using digital devices such as smartphones and tablets. As myopia progresses, high myopia increases the risk of severe complications that may lead to blindness in the future.
In Japan, surgical techniques for cataracts have advanced in recent years, resulting in faster recovery of vision (*6). However, according to The International Association for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), it is assumed that 90% of blind people worldwide suffer vision loss due to refractive error (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, etc.), cataracts, or other causes that can be properly prevented or treated (*7).
As a whole, visual impairment poses a serious problem from a socio-economic perspective, with an estimated global annual productivity cost of US$411 billion (*8).
Also, visual impairment or blindness not only cause inconvenience due to vision loss, but can also lead to depression and social isolation, significantly impacting people’s quality of life (QOL).
Santen’s goal of “Happiness with Vision”
As a company specialized in ophthalmology with a history of more than 130 years, Santen is unique. We have grown on the strength of our commitment to patients through the provision of high-quality pharmaceuticals and services, primarily for medical use.
Our focus is on the development of products for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, allergies, dry eye, and glaucoma. Furthermore, we would like to contribute to more patients by developing solutions in new areas such as myopia, presbyopia, ptosis, and retinitis pigmentosa—diseases for which treatments have yet to be established.
In addition to developing therapies and services for treatment and prevention, we are also taking steps to improve access to healthcare through activities that help ophthalmologists improve their surgical and therapeutic skills and educate laboratory technicians and healthcare professionals—so that all patients can receive appropriate medical care.
However, there are also congenital diseases and progressive eye diseases that lead to premature blindness for which cures have yet to be found. We promote Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) both internally and externally to realize a society in which all people, regardless of visual impairment, can participate, intermingle, and live together in harmony.
These initiatives are rooted in Santen's raison d’etre—and to the SDG goal of “leaving no one behind.”
Mohammed Abdin, a Santen employee in the Core Principles and CSV Promotion Department who promotes DE&I from the perspective of a visually impaired person, had this to say:
Seeking to change society’s mindset by promoting understanding of visual impairments
Santen will continue to take on the challenge of solving social issues related to eye health, contributing to the improvement of eye health, and contributing to patients around the world.
Please also watch our corporate movie, which explains the value we believe we provide through our business activities as well as our commitment to realizing “Happiness with Vision.”
- WHO, World report on vision October 8, 2019
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241516570 - United Nations, World Population Prospects: 2015 Revision
- *1 World report on vision. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, Naidoo KS, Sankaridurg P, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050 Ophthalmology 2016;123(5):1036-42.
- MEXT: Press Release, Publication of School Health Statistics (Fixed Figures) for the 2022 School Year
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20231115-mxt_chousa01-000031879_1a.pdf - Japan Ophthalmologists Association, Cataracts and Surgery, Health information about eyes
https://www.gankaikai.or.jp/health/24/ - Vision Atlas - The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (iapb.org)
https://www.iapb.org/learn/vision-atlas/ - The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020
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