#1 Enter the World Sight Day 2019 photo competition - Vision First!

Fancy yourself a bit of a photographer? If you’ve captured a special moment that highlights the impact of eye health in people’s lives, you can enter it in the annual World Sight Day photo competition, this year titled ‘Vision First!’.

Photos are a powerful way to showcase the incredibly important work being done in the field of global eye health, and can also help to identify new priority areas.

You don’t need to get caught up with the tech - it’s possible to snap a quick photo using a Smartphone that tells a rich and captivating story, like this submission from last year:

For more information about eligibility, submission deadlines and how to enter, visit photocomp.iapb.org

#2 Encourage everyone you know to establish a good eye health routine

There are a number of key good eye health practices that you should be incorporating into your healthcare regime.

These include things like:

• wearing sun protection in sunny conditions
• regularly resting your eyes from reading (both books and digital screens)
• eating nourishing foods
• quitting smoking.

But one of the most important steps you can take in looking after your eyes, is booking in for an eye health check with your local optometry clinic at least once every two years.

During an eye health check, an optometrist will examine both the inner and outer eye sections of your eye, conducting a number of tests to make sure your eyes are healthy and that there is no deterioration of vision.

It’s extremely important to have these tests, as most eye conditions don’t have visible symptoms, which can lead to late diagnosis and treatment.

In Australia, examinations are bulk-billed (free for you, paid by the Australian government) if you have a Medicare card.

People with particular conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, will need specific treatment plans, so ensure you’re checking in with your GP regularly regarding your eye health checks.

It’s also important to ask your relatives about any eye conditions that may have existed within your family. If your family has a history of some eye conditions, such as glaucoma, the optometrist may want to perform further tests.
 

#3 Become a regular donor this World Sight Day

In 2018, The Fred Hollows Foundation and our partners:

• achieved 929,106 eye operations and treatments
• treated 24.7 million people with antibiotics for trachoma
• trained 57,615 people including surgeons, health workers and teachers
• built, renovated or equipped 666 medical facilities
• and educated 2.4 million children and community members in eye health

#4 Organise your own World Sight Day fundraising event 

Why not celebrate World Sight Day by holding your own fundraising event?

There are countless options when choosing a fundraising event, such as trivia fundraising, indoor and outdoor movie nights, replacing your birthday gifts with donations, bake sales... this list goes on!

Head over to our fundraising portal to set up a fundraising page for your event so that you can start sharing it among your networks.

#5 Spread the word - share on social media!

Did you know that according to Brandwatch, 45% of the global population are active on a social media platform?

Nothing amplifies a message better than sharing on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

For World Sight Day, how about sharing a message on social media using one of the following hashtags:

• #WSD2019
• #VisionFirst
• #FredHollowsWorldSightDay
• #WorldSightDay

Here are some key statistics you might like to share about blindness and vision impairment Source: IAPB Vision Atlas):

• There are 36 million people in the world who are blind
• 217 million people suffer from moderate or severe distance vision impairment
• Of those with blindness and moderate/severe visual impairment (MSVI), 124 million people have uncorrected refractive errors and 65 million have cataract
• More than 75% of all blindness and MSVI is avoidable
• The prevalence of blindness and vision impairment combined has dropped from 4.58% in 1990 to 3.37% in 2015
• 89% of vision impaired people live in low and middle-income countries
• 55% of moderate or severely vision impaired people are women

#6 Speak out for eye health

Your voice is powerful, and the eye health sector needs passionate advocates to ensure our vital work continues to stay on the agenda.

Think about the ways you might be able to raise your voice and educate your community about eye health and the philanthropic work of The Foundation.

Are you a teacher?

Think about how you might be able to incorporate awareness raising into your lessons, or encourage the kids to hold a fun event to raise awareness about the importance of healthy eyes.

Are you working in the health sector?

Perhaps you could have a ‘eye health’ focus in your workplace, putting up informative posters and encouraging conversations about getting regular eye health examinations.

Why not encourage your local Member of Parliament to support the cause, and to use their platform to raise awareness around the issues of avoidable blindness?

Did you know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 3 times more likely to be blind than non-Indigenous people?

Help us to close this gap in one of these three ways:

1. Sign the petition
2. Learn the facts
3. Support our newly released Indigenous Australia Program Five Year Plan