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World Sight Day

Raising eye health awareness

There are 43 million people in the world who are blind and 217 million people who have moderate to severe distance vision impairment (MSVI). Out of all these cases, 90% of blindness and vision loss is preventable or treatable. That’s why World Sight Day is so important when it comes to raising global awareness about eye health.

COVER PHOTO: Michael Amendolia (2018)


Table of contents


What is World Sight Day?

World Sight Day is an important day in the eye health calendar. It is an annual awareness day that is observed on the second Thursday of October every year. 

World Sight Day aims to focus global attention on blindness, vision impairment and eye care.

World Sight Day is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the global initiative VISION 2020: The Right to Sight. 

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight was launched in 1999 and seeks to promote “a world in which nobody is needlessly visually impaired, where those with unavoidable vision loss can achieve their full potential.”

Since the year 2000, the IAPB has coordinated World Sight Day. Since then, it has been celebrated in many ways around the world.  

Each year a different theme is chosen by IAPB as an area of focus for advocacy and awareness, and members and supporting organisations organise events and celebrations. 

This year’s theme is Love your eyes and the key call to action is that Everyone counts. Nearly everyone on the planet will experience an eye health issue in their lifetime and more than a billion people worldwide do not have access to eye care services. To address the bigger picture at the country and global level, we need to be aware of our own eye health, and have regular eye checks.
There are loads of ways you can join the World Sight Day 2021 celebrations by taking part in activities such as:

  • Sharing a post on social media in support of World Sight Day, using the hashtags #WorldSightDayAU and #Loveyoureyes
  • Encouraging your loved ones to look after their eyes by getting their eyes tested
  • Organising your own World Sight Day event


What is the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)?

The IAPB was established in 1975 to lead international efforts in blindness prevention activities.

It is an alliance of civil society organisations, corporates and professional bodies promoting eye health through advocacy, knowledge and partnerships.

IAPB’s mission is to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment by facilitating the planning, development and implementation of sustainable eye health programs.


How does The Fred Hollows Foundation work with IAPB?

The Fred Hollows Foundation is an active member of the IAPB and works closely with the agency to fulfil Fred’s vision of a world in which nobody is needlessly blind or vision impaired.

The Foundation is focused on preventing blindness and restoring sight, working in developing countries and in remote and regional Australian communities to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to sight.
 

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How do we work?

Our priority is to work with communities to improve their own eye health. We do this through:
 
  1. Funding and facilitating life-changing surgeries and treatments
  2. Training doctors, nurses, and clinical and community eye health workers
  3. Strengthening health systems through advocacy and influence
  4. Engaging with local communities and empowering them to take their eye health in their own hands
  5. Investing in new technologies and piloting new approaches to deliver eye care more effectively 

  
How do we deliver impact?

In order to deliver maximum impact, our work is driven by four critical eye care goals:
 
  1. Making effective treatment for cataract, which is a leading cause of blindness, accessible to all
  2. Eliminating trachoma, which is the leading infectious cause of blindness, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as in countries where it is prevalent
  3. Making effective prevention and treatment for refractive error accessible for all
  4. Making diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is the leading cause of avoidable blindness in working class people, more affordable to manage
 
Important eye health facts to keep in mind

Important eye health facts to keep in mind

The following facts were released by the IAPB and highlight the importance of World Sight Day:

  • 43.3 million people are blind worldwide
  • 295 million people suffer from moderate or severe distance vision impairment (MSVI) 
  • 161 million people have uncorrected refractive errors (of those with blindness and MSVI)
  • 100 million people have cataract (of those with blindness and MSVI)
  • 510 million million have near uncorrected refractive errors (of those with blindness and MSVI)
  • More than 90% of all blindness and MSVI is preventable or treatable
  • 90% of vision impaired people live in low and middle-income countries
  • 55% of vision impaired people are women
  • 73% of vision impaired people are over the age of 50
  • Main causes of vision loss include cataract, uncorrected refractive errors, and glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy
  • Vision loss will rise to 1.7 billion people by 2050 without significant investment

Get involved in World Sight Day

Here are a couple of ways you can make a difference each year on World Sight Day:
 

Look after your own eye health

One of the most important steps you can take in looking after your eye health is getting an eye test done regularly with your local eye health provider. Usually, an eye test is recommended every two years or even more regularly if you have an existing eye condition or other medical conditions, such as diabetes.

During an eye test, an optometrist will examine your eye, conducting a number of tests to determine the state of your eye health and detect any complications or deterioration in your vision. Find out more on what happens during an eye test.

If your family has a history of some eye conditions, such as glaucoma, the optometrist may want to perform further tests. Here are a list of questions you should be asking your eye doctor as well.

As well as getting your eyes tested, you should look after your eye health. Read about the different ways you can look after your eyes, especially with the increasing time spent in front of a smartphone, tablet or laptop while social distancing.

Maintaining a healthy diet is also really important to your eye health. Learn about the nutrients that will help boost your eye health and the foods you should try to include in your diet. 



Encourage your family members to look after their eye health

Make eye health a priority for your family, instilling healthy habits in your children from an early age so that they get into the habit of looking after their eyes. This can include maintaining healthy eating habits, managing screen time, increasing time spent outdoors, and encouraging them to speak up if they experience any changes in their vision or overall health. If you are a parent, learn more about myopia, a condition that is on the rise not just in Australia, but around the world.

You should also prompt elders in your family to look after their eyes and get regular eye tests. Cataract is the world’s leading cause of blindness and a common condition that occurs with age. However, if treated in time, a simple surgical procedure allows the eye’s natural lens that’s turned cloudy to be replaced with an IOL, which gives the patient their sight back.

 
 
Speak up about eye health

The eye health sector needs passionate advocates to ensure the  vital sight-restoring work of organisations like The Foundation continues to stay on the global health agenda. You can use your voice to speak up and ensure the most vulnerable and marginalised people in our communities are not left behind or lose their sight to avoidable blindness.

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

Help us close this eye health gap by signing this petition as well as learning about our Indigenous Australia Program.

 
 
Organise your own World Sight Day event

Every year, on the second Thursday of October, there is an opportunity to champion eye health by celebrating World Sight Day.

You can easily take part in this annual awareness day by holding your own fundraising event.

There are lots of fundraising ideas to choose from, including trivia nights, movie nights, bake sales, and garage sales to name a few.

Set up a fundraising page for your event and share it on your social media channels with your family, friends and co-workers to raise money for a worthy cause.

 
 
Join Fred’s Team

Become a monthly donor by joining Fred’s team and giving a donation every month. Your regular gifts will help us carry on Fred’s vision and prevent millions of people going blind from avoidable causes.

Your regular contributions will allow us to plan ahead and provide support to people living with avoidable blindness in 25 countries around the world.

Your generosity will allow us to focus on delivering high quality and affordable eye care services to people living in some of the most remote and under-funded parts of the world.
  


Learn more


 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Latika Mani - The Fred Hollows Foundation

Latika is a passionate digital content writer for The Fred Hollows Foundation with over 15 years of professional writing and message amplification experience. Latika is a firm believer in social justice and equity, and is committed to bringing awareness to global health care disparity in order to effect change and ensure everyone has the opportunity to exercise their right to sight.