World Sight Day is Thursday, 10 October
This year, the IAPB encourages children worldwide to love their eyes
Educational events, free resources and vision screenings are all part of World Sight Day. Image credit: ©NiK0StudeO – stock.adobe.com
World Sight Day was created to bring global attention to blindness and vision impairment, shining a spotlight on the importance of vision health. Held on the second Thursday in October, this year, World Sight Day falls on 10 October.
Coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the Love Your Eyes campaign banner, World Sight Day 2024 is putting children at the centre of the programming.
Access and education make a difference
“We all know that, in children, an uncorrected vision impairment can severely impact their education,” said Peter Holland, CEO of IAPB, in a press release.1 “Research tells us that children with access to and being prescribed spectacles can reduce failing rates by 44%. It is knowledge like this that has led us to make World Sight Day 2024 one for children around the world.”
Speaking to Ophthalmology Times, members of the publication's Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) highlighted the importance of World Sight Day to draw attention to the need for vision screening for children. Early intervention is especially crucial, said Mark Packer, MD, of Packer Research Associates.
“This year, The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness World Sight Day focuses on children’s vision,” said Dr Packer. “Because of the devastating consequences of amblyopia, it is critical that young children be screened early for vision problems. Refractive error and strabismus are eminently treatable, but only if discovered early. Screening young children for eye disease is one of the most meaningful interventions in ophthalmology.”
Sharon Fekrat, MD, a Duke retinal surgeon, pointed out that World Sight Day has a global impact.
“World Sight Day occurs every year and raises awareness about eye health and need for regular eye examinations through campaigns and educational programs,” Dr Fekrat said. “Doing so improves advocacy for policies and funding for patient care and eye research and engages both governmental and non-governmental organisations.”
Dr Fekrat also noted that World Sight Day involves the community, which stimulates conversation around eye disease and translates into proactive eye health management while decreasing associated stigma and providing clarity for common misconceptions.
“Vision conditions affect people of all ages, including children, teens, and young adults,” she said. “Eye health also involves the prevention of systemic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, which can manifest through changes in the eyes."
Debunking dangerous myths about eye health
In many cases, patients may believe if they don’t have symptoms, they don’t need an eye exam. That simply isn't the case, Dr Fekrat warned.
“Many eye conditions, such as glaucoma or an eye tumor, have no noticeable symptoms until advanced,” Dr Fekrat said. “Regular eye examinations can identify such conditions early.”
World Sight Day addresses these issues by stressing the importance of regular eye exams, and pointing out the need for easily accessible eye care services. Early detection has been vital to some of Dr Fekrat’s patients. “I detected an early choroidal melanoma in a patient during a dilated eye examination and saved his life,” she recounted.
As another example, Dr Fekrat explained that diabetic retinopathy can progress to a very advanced state which would require high-risk eye surgery, without patients experiencing visual symptoms. Glaucoma may also have no symptoms, and once vision is lost from glaucoma, there is no way to bring it back.
“Regular eye exams allow early detection of conditions that, if untreated, could lead to vision loss or even death,” she said.
Dr Fekrat said that this year's World Sight Day theme aligns with ongoing efforts to make eye care more equitable and accessible.
“Technological advances, such as telemedicine screening for treatable diabetic retinopathy or the development of biosimilar therapeutics for macular degeneration, improve access to care while decreasing cost,” she said.
Continuing the vision year-round
Beyond World Sight Day, Dr Fekrat noted that patients can take proactive steps to maintain good eye health and prevent vision loss
“They can make regular eye exam appointments, maintain a healthy lifestyle, wear sunglasses, enjoy fruits and vegetables,” she said. Anti-smoking campaigns can also help protect ocular health.
Prevent Blindness and its affiliates and partners will be hosting World Sight Day education events and free vision screenings. These activities are supported by funding from Amgen. Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, put out a call to action for clinicians, patients and their families to engage with the available opportunities.1
“World Sight Day provides a great opportunity to align with our partners all across the globe to collectively elevate discussions and bring awareness to the importance of healthy vision and the need for access to eyecare for all, especially for our children,” Todd said. “We encourage parents, professionals, lawmakers and all concerned citizens to join us for World Sight Day and make a positive difference in the lives of others through healthy eyesight.”
