Democratic Republic of Congo

Blindness in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is located in Central sub-Saharan Africa. Formerly known as Zaire (1971-1997), it is the second-largest country in Africa. It is also one of the poorest and least politically stable countries in the world. Once renowned in Africa for the quality of physicians, the political and economic turmoil of the past three decades has caused the collapse of the country’s health care system.

An estimated 70% of Congolese people have little or no access to any form of health care. The hospitals and clinics that do exist lack trained personnel and equipment, and often run out of critical medicine and supplies.

Cataracts are the largest cause of blindness, but many in the DRC remain at risk from onchocerciasis (river blindness), due to the large number of rivers that flow through the country. With an estimated 800,000 blind Congolese, organizations like SEE are especially crucial in countries like the DRC.