Seeing Opportunity in Ophthalmology

Asia-Pacific is emerging as one of the most active regions for ophthalmology innovation. In recent months, a wave of cross-border partnerships and licensing deals has underscored both the scale of unmet need in eye disease and the region's growing ambition to play a larger role in treatment development. From glaucoma and retinal disorders to dry eye disease and childhood myopia, companies across pharma, biotech, and medtech are increasingly accelerating clinical progress.

- Ayesha Siddiqui

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 2.2 billion people worldwide live with some form of vision impairment or blindness. Asia accounts for over 60 per cent of global cases, according to the Global Burden of Disease report. This reflects not only population size, but also rapidly rising risk factors such as ageing and diabetes. Vision impairment is a leading contributor to years lived with disability and costs the global economy an estimated $411 billion annually in lost productivity. In Asia-Pacific, where populations are ageing rapidly and diabetes prevalence continues to rise, the stakes are even higher. Without targeted intervention, retinal diseases alone, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME), could contribute to $715 billion in lost productivity and 13 million healthy life years lost over this decade across ten major economies, according to World Economic Forum report.

This burden is spread across a wide spectrum of eye conditions. There are more than 100 types of eye diseases, ranging from common and largely self-limiting conditions such as conjunctivitis to complex, chronic disorders that can lead to permanent vision loss. While many minor eye conditions are well managed with existing therapies, the scale and severity of vision loss are overwhelmingly driven by retinal diseases, glaucoma, and age-related eye disorders. As a result, the majority of research and development activity is focused on these areas, where unmet medical need, long-term disability, and economic impact are greatest.