Posted on: Fri 02-10-2015

The World Sight Day(WSD) is a day set aside by the international eye health community to draw attention to the global challenge of eye and vision impairment. Organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness(IAPB),it is an important advocacy and communications opportunity for the eye health community as we utilized the opportunity to engage a wider audience – a patient’s family, those who seldom get an eye exam, diabetics – and showcase why eye health needs everybody’s attention.

This year's World Sight Day 2015 will be held on 8th October 2015 with the Call to Action title: Eye care for all 
This year, the focus is on everybody who needs eye care services – everybody. Think of all the groups of people who need eye care – especially the most vulnerable or the ones most in need. What can we do to bring eye care to them all? How can we ensure that access to eye care is not limited by gender or geographic location, or even financial status? Do remember, ‘Eye Health’ also includes rehabilitation and assistive services for those with irreversible vision loss. 

This World Sight Day, let’s do something that will draw attention to the great unmet need in eye care services. Key decision makers, policymakers, government officials and other important stakeholders can be reminded of the unmet need for good quality eye care services. Remind them about what they can do to address this, and make them take a public commitment on World Sight Day! Better still, recognise (small or large) acts of sensitivity and support from these stakeholders and celebrate them on World Sight Day. 

Areas of Focus: Eye care for all 
Irrespective of the area of focus this World Sight Day – cataract, glaucoma, diabetes, eye care management – ‘Eye care for all’ is a powerful call to action. You can use it to reach out to previously underserved groups within your work-area, or to highlight neglect so that you can campaign for specific funding opportunities to address the issue.

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