Advancing eye health in Low Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): Innovative Knowledge, Attitude, Practices (KAP) insights from Zambia.

Globally, 2.2 billion people experience vision loss, including 43 million who are blind. Alarmingly, 90% of vision loss is preventable or treatable, yet it remains disproportionately high in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Vision loss imposes substantial socioeconomic burdens and undermines the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Recognizing the urgent need for innovative strategies to address this issue, a project was initiated in Zambia's Kapiri Mposhi district, focusing on eliminating avoidable blindness through Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Community Eye Health (CEH) initiatives. We present insights from this comprehensive KAP (Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices) research related to eye health-seeking behaviors among 3,000 community members. Leveraging frugal innovations, engaging community influencers, and promoting sustainable WASH practices emerge as critical strategies to improve eye health outcomes in Kapiri Mposhi and beyond. This research contributes to innovative management in eye health, informing evidence-based interventions and policy decisions to address vision loss and promote community well-being in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]