World Sight Day is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and it:
- Is an opportunity to focus the world’s attention on eye health as a global issue.
- Raises awareness of eye health amongst individuals, families and communities.
- Is a platform to influences decision makers to prioritise eye health initiatives.
- Helps activate demand for eye health services globally.
- The Love Your Eyes campaign encourages individuals to take care of their own eye health and draws attention to over a billion people worldwide who have vision loss and do not have access to eye care services.
- This year IAPB is asking members and people across the sector to carry out sight screenings in national parliaments, assemblies, presidential and royal palaces to highlight the importance of eye health with politicians and decision makers
World Sight Day is the most important date of the year for the eye health sector. On the second Thursday of October every year, we have the collective opportunity to focus attention on eye health as a global issue. An issue that is far too often forgotten from the list of public health priorities.
As a sector, we all know that almost everyone on the planet will experience an eye health issue in their lifetime, but more than a billion people do not have access to eye care services to correct, treat or prevent vision loss.
The #LoveYourEyes campaign calls on everyone to consider that eye care and rehabilitation services should be accessible, inclusive and affordable to everyone, everywhere, whenever they are needed and people need to understand the importance of caring for their own eye health and demand access to services.
The #LoveYourEyes campaign also calls on decision-makers to look at eye health as part of the big picture in terms of its impact on economic growth, the health and wellbeing of citizens and the impact inaccessible eye care has on a child’s development and education potential.
This year’s World Sight Day being held on 13th October. Screenings are already being planned around the world including at the United Nations in New York, the UK Parliament in London, the Nepal parliament in Kathmandu, and the Australian Parliament in Canberra.