Medical technology transfer for sustainable development: A case study of intraocular lens replacement to correct cataracts

Logan D.A. Williams

Technology in Society, 2008, vol. 30, issue 2, 170-183

Abstract: Cataracts account for almost 50% of blindness in the world (17 million people). The magnitude of this problem is stunning, and affects the sustainable economic progress of developing nations where 90% of the blind are located (and likewise 90% of the $19 billion dollars in lost global productivity each year). The Vision 2020 program has called for eliminating cataract as a cause of avoidable blindness through intraocular lens replacement surgery (IOL surgery), a relatively cheap solution with good outcomes. This paper will: (1) give background on the scope and problems surrounding international technology transfer of IOL surgery; (2) develop the international medical technology transfer framework adapted from work by Lall and Wei; (3) compare programs in the countries of Nepal and Nigeria; (4) evaluate the success of their technology transfer of intraocular lens replacement; and (5) provide recommendations for sustainable international transfer of IOL surgery.

Date: 2008
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:30:y:2008:i:2:p:170-183

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2007.12.012

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