Eye health takes centre stage at World Bank Spring Meetings ahead of the first Global Summit for Eye Health

Eye health featured prominently at the 2026 World Bank Spring Meetings, as IAPB and partners used a series of high-level events to build political and financial momentum ahead of the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health in Antigua and Barbuda this November.

The week’s conversations were focussed on the fact that eye health is not only a health priority but a strategic investment in productivity and inclusive economic growth. 

Financing Vision, Financing Growth

On 17 April a high-level breakfast event entitled ‘Financing Vision, Financing Growth’, co-hosted by the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Bangladesh, brought together Ministers of Finance and Health, development finance institutions and global partners.

The event introduced the new World Bank-supported financing initiative designed to scale investment in country-led eye health programmes, and examined the role of vision as a driver of productivity and inclusive economic growth.

It highlighted a stark imbalance that despite accounting for up to 10% of patient consultations, eye health receives less than one per cent of national health budgets in many low- and middle-income countries. Research shows that every dollar invested in eye health can generate up to $28 in returns, placing it alongside nutrition as one of the most cost-effective investments in development.

A new financing platform

Central to the week’s discussions was the new financing platform developed by the World Bank in partnership with the Vision Catalyst Fund and IAPB, and seed funded by CBM, Cure Blindness Project and The Fred Hollows Foundation.

The platform is designed to combine philanthropic capital with World Bank financing, using modest catalytic contributions to mobilise significantly greater government investment. Funding will be channelled through Ministries of Health and integrated directly into national health budgets, moving eye health away from short-term, project-based funding and towards sustainable, system-level investment.

Having completed a two-year development and approval process with the World Bank, the initiative is now entering its next phase, with programmes expected to begin in a small number of demonstration countries in 2026. 

Jess Thompson, Deputy CEO for IAPB, said: “Eye health represents a significant and rapidly growing global challenge, but one that can be effectively addressed given that over 90% of sight loss cases are preventable or treatable through low-cost interventions such as glasses and cataract surgery.

“This new financing mechanism is an important milestone on the road to the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health, which will take place alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda this November.”

The Value of Vision at Devex Impact House

The case for eye health as a catalyst for economic growth was also taken to a wider development finance audience at Devex Impact House on 16 April. In a fireside chat moderated by Alex Cabaret from Devex, speakers explored the economic evidence underpinning investment in vision, the new World Bank financing mechanism and the opportunity to position eye care as a core component of development strategy.

The session entitled ‘The Value of Vision: Eye Health as a Catalyst of Growth’ placed eye health squarely within the broader Spring Meetings conversation about how catalytic finance, multilateral partnerships and innovative funding models can deliver results at scale.

Adam Askew, CEO of the Vision Catalyst Fund, said of financing eye health at scale: “What has been missing in eye health is not evidence, but a financing model capable of delivering at scale. This initiative, being developed with and administered by the World Bank, is designed to address that gap by linking catalytic philanthropic funding with government health budgets and World Bank financing.

“By introducing this approach, we have an opportunity to move beyond short-term projects and support countries to integrate eye care into national systems in a way that is sustainable, scalable, and aligned with broader development priorities.”

Building towards November

The Spring Meetings marked a critical step on the road to November’s Global Summit for Eye Health, hosted by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in collaboration with the WHO. The Summit will bring together Heads of State and Government, development finance leaders and global partners to ensure eye care is integrated into national development strategies and financing frameworks.

With momentum building across a series of international forums, from regional consultations to 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE in Nairobi and a high-level side event at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, this week’s Washington meetings represented a significant moment for eye health as we build towards the Global Summit.

Data Source: IAPB Vision Atlas