Costa Rica

Blindness in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a rugged, rain-forested Central American country, with coastlines on the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. The government provides universal health care to its citizens and permanent residents, making it the best public health system in Latin America, according to the U.N.

However, the country’s medical infrastructure is overburdened and has a severe shortage of physicians. According to the National Library of Medicine, only 165 ophthalmologists are available to serve a population of over 3 million people. Because of this, doctors primarily work in major cities, and rural communities suffer. As a result, many poor people outside of major cities have never received any form of eye care.