Moreover, the cost estimates vary widely from country to country, based on the prevalence and causes of blindness, the age of those affected, the employment situation in the country concerned, the wage structure, and the existence and coverage of social, rehabilitative and educational services. However, in every country such costs have been shown to be a considerable strain on the national economy. The economic burden of blindness and visual impairment is only part of the story. The person who is blind and his or her family face important social constraints. Both directly and indirectly, visual impairment interferes with various activities of daily living.
Blind children have to face developmental challenges.
In adult life, employment opportunities for the visually disabled are extremely limited and their participation in a host of leisure activities is seriously hampered. In addition, in many societies visual impairment results in a loss of status and self-esteem. These physical and, especially, the psychosocial implications of visual impairment and blindness cannot be accurately quantified in monetary terms. However, they do erode the quality of life of both the affected individuals and their families. A study in the UK indicated that visually disabled people were poorer on average, had lower educational levels, lower employment and less social life than sighted people.