A Comprehensive Note on World Sight Day, 2023

According to Sight Research UK, it is evident that nearly 4 million people will be exposed to sight loss by 2050. It is due to the ageing population who often deal with certain age-related conditions like Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Cataracts. Speaking of numbers, 1 out of 5 old people aged 90 suffer from AMD. While changes in our vision after a certain point in time are inevitable, considering the frequent occurrence of sight loss is indeed a myth. By taking proper care and maintaining a good quality of life, each one of us can prevent a lot of potential eye threats.

That’s why creating awareness this World Sight Day, 2023, is extremely necessary. Celebrated on the second Thursday of October (12th October as of this month), World Sight Day is dedicated to raising awareness on blindness, vision impairment and eye health care. This day is more of a reminder that speaks volumes about frequent eye examinations, proper access to eyecare, treatment and early detection of multiple eye conditions. Apart from that, the motive of World Sight Day revolves around eliminating preventable blindness and improving people’s lives who are already dealing with vision loss. It is no less than a global celebration where communities, organisations and individuals from different backgrounds come together to focus on vision care and eye health.

History of World Sight Day

Lions Club Foundation was the first one to establish World Sight Day- they celebrated the occasion for the very first time in 1984. After a few years, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) collaborated in their effort to create a space where everyone can get easy access to eye care. Different events are celebrated by a large number of organisations- each and every one’s aim is to create awareness, prevent eye diseases and find a cure for the victims.

Some activities during World Sight Day include raising funds to cover operation costs, distributing posters and booklets to talk about the issue and book readings for blind people. While a particular group of people support World Sight Day by planting trees, others submit their photographs to create a montage based on the blindness theme.

How Can You Choose to be a Part of World Sight Day?

By making yourself a part of World Sight Day, you can grab the scope of preventing vision impairment and promoting eye health. Some of the ways to involve yourself in this event include:

• Get Your Eyes Checked: This World Sight Day, make sure to opt for a comprehensive eye test and get your vision checked. You can book a free eye test with us- our trained experts will ensure to assess your situation without leaving any room for mistakes.
• Speak for Eye Health: By advocating for eye health, you can stand by policies that improve eye care services in underserved places and communities.
• Support Vision Charities: There are multiple vision charities that extend eye care services, resources and treatment to every individual in dire need.
• Educate Your Known Ones: You can educate others and pass on information that is related to the prevention of vision loss or the importance of eye health. Social media is definitely the best place to talk about such things.
• Host Eye Health Events: Corporate spaces and opt for screenings and eye health workshops.

This World Sight Day, Take Care of Your Eyes

The theme of World Sight Day this year is #LoveYourEyes at Work. Peter Holland, CEO of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness claims that the world is more productive and safer once we start focusing on our eye health. By upgrading our knowledge of eye health, bringing measurable and positive differences to employers and employees is highly possible. Let’s pledge to keep our eyesight intact and spread awareness!

References:

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-sight-day-2023/
https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/industry/charity/2023/06/08/world-sight-day-2023-to-focus-on-eye-health-at-work
https://www.sightresearchuk.org/world-sight-day/
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/sight-day/