The Ministry of Public Health says nearly 25,000 people in the country lose their sight every year.

Marking World Sight Day on Thursday in Kabul, health officials said that 1.5 million people contract eye diseases every year.

The ministry officials added that many people in remote areas suffer from eye diseases.

“Nearly 1.5 million people suffer from visual impairment every year. In Afghanistan, about 25,000 people lose their sight every year,” said Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister of Public Health.

“In the world, more than two billion people are visually impaired,” said Naimullah Safi, representative of the World Health Organization.

According to health officials, since the beginning of this year, nearly 4,000 eye operations have been performed in various provinces.